UN providing essential health services to displaced persons in northern Yemen
The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) is providing vital health services to thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have been driven from their homes since clashes between Government forces and Al Houthi rebels resumed across Sa’dah province in northern Yemen in mid-August.
The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) is providing vital health services to thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have been driven from their homes since clashes between Government forces and Al Houthi rebels resumed across Sa’dah province in northern Yemen in mid-August.
The WHO-supported clinics in Al Mazrak, Al-Jawf and Amran camps have treated more than 21,000 patients since the start of the conflict, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Diarrhoea, skin infections, respiratory problems, urinary infections and malaria are among the major concerns of patients attending the clinics.
WHO, in coordination with the local health office, is also conducting a vaccination campaign for measles, polio, and tetanus. Children are receiving routine vaccinations while female IDPs are being provided with reproductive health services.
The agency and Yemen’s public health and population ministry undertook a visit to Al-Mazrak camp last week to monitor and supervise health activities. They reported that the clinic is fully functional, with staff on duty at all times.
More than 6,500 consultations were provided in the Al-Mazrak camp throughout October, while nearly 5,000 were provided in the Amran camp and 1082 in Al-Jawf.
The United Nations’ Population Fund (UNFPA) is supporting the Yemen Family Care Association (YFCA), which has strengthened reproductive health services through the provision of three fully equipped mobile clinics, staffed with midwives and female doctors.
Earlier this year, the WHO received surgical supplies from the Italian Government for 400 major surgical operations, as well as medical supplies for 20,000 IDPs for three months and diarrhoeal disease treatment for 1,500 victims of severe to moderate dehydration.
An estimated 150,000 people have been driven from their homes since the resumption of hostilities earlier this year, and senior UN officials have voiced concerns about the humanitarian impact on civilians.