1,000 healthcare facilities at risk of closure due to lack of funding in Yemen

The Yemeni government yesterday warned that more than a thousand health facilities in the country are at risk of closure due to the drop in international funding for the health sector, Anadolu agency reported.

This could endanger the lives of 500,000 women in the war-ravaged Arab country, according to an official statement issued by the prime minister’s office.

“Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak chaired a government meeting in the interim capital Aden to discuss the challenges resulting from declining international funding for the health sector,” the statement said.

During the meeting, Health Minister Qasim Buhaibeh warned that “the decline in funding for the health sector will lead to the closure of more than 1,000 health facilities, expose 500,000 women to the risk of death, and deprive 600,000 children of essential vaccination and healthcare services, while weakening the country’s ability to combat the outbreak of epidemics.”

The prime minister, the statement said, has ordered the formation of a committee to prepare a strategic plan to assess the health sector’s needs and map the required international interventions.

He called on international and regional partners to “renew their vital and continuous support for health services to overcome the current circumstances and avoid a potential humanitarian disaster.”

On 10 July, the Yemeni government announced a 70 per cent decrease in international funding for the health sector.

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