Yemeni Ministry of health has condemned long years of Saudi-led aggression against the impoverished Arab nation warning of “human catastrophe” as 5,000 kidney patients do not receive medical supplies.
Yemen warns of Saudi blockade threatening lives of 5,000 kidney patients
15 Jan 2023 - 16:09
Yemeni Ministry of health has condemned long years of Saudi-led aggression against the impoverished Arab nation warning of “human catastrophe” as 5,000 kidney patients do not receive medical supplies.
Ali Jahaf, National Salvation Government’s Deputy Health Minister, made the remark at a press conference in the capital, Sana’a, as he raised the alarm about the depletion of the stock of dialysis drugs and medicine for Yemeni patients suffering from chronic kidney disease.
“This is not the first conference and we have held more than one. We have been warning of a human catastrophe threatening the lives of thousands of dialysis patients in various governorates, but there is no response,” Jahaf was quoted as saying by Yemen’s Ansarullah news website.
"We have addressed the United Nations and health organizations operating in Yemen that we need to provide sufficient drug stocks for dialysis sessions for the year 2023 as we need approximately 500,000 dialysis sessions every year without receiving a response despite lots of correspondence and meetings in this regard," he added.
Stressing that dialysis centers in Yemen are standing on the “verge of stopping,” Jahaf said the issue will “affect the lives of 5,000 patients with kidney failure who need dialysis sessions and drugs, and they may lose their lives if these solutions and medicine are not available urgently.”
The deputy health minister underscored the importance of opening Sana'a airport and the port of Hodeidah as they are vital outlets for medicine and food for millions of Yemenis in the besieged areas by the Saudi-led coalition aggression, adding, “In light of the imposed blockade, we are unable as a country to import vital medicine and save our patients.”
Jahaf went on to say that, "We are in urgent need within two weeks to provide dialysis sessions, and our stock has run out."
Story Code: 580575