Yemeni government: The decline in international funding threatens to close more than a thousand health facilities

The Yemeni government warned, on Sunday, that more than a thousand health facilities in the country were threatened with closure as a result of a decline in international support, which portends a potential humanitarian catastrophe.

The Yemeni news agency “Saba” reported that “Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak chaired a government meeting to discuss the challenges of the decline in international funding directed to the health sector, and the immediate interventions required to sustain the provision of health care and avoid any potential disaster.”

The Minister of Public Health and Population, Dr. Qasim Buhaibah, presented a report on the urgent response to reducing the support provided by health sector partners, its repercussions, and the proposed alternatives.

Buhaibeh warned that this international reduction will have a catastrophic impact on the health sector and affect the lives of millions of citizens, as it will lead to the closure of more than a thousand health facilities, expose the lives of 500,000 women to the risk of death, deprive 600,000 children of vaccination and health care services, and weaken capacity. To cope with many epidemic outbreaks.

The Minister of Health pointed out the importance of all health development partners sensing the necessity of continuing support to strengthen the health system and improve the services provided to citizens.

The Prime Minister directed the formation of a committee of the ministers of planning, international cooperation, public health, population, water and environment, and the executive branch, to accelerate the absorption of donor pledges, which will prepare a strategic plan to assess the needs of the health sector, a map of the required international interventions, and determine implementation responsibilities and time frames.

He also 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 catastrophe.

On July 10, the Yemeni government announced a decrease in international funding for the health sector by about 70 percent.