Ongoing Saudi-led blockade on Yemen causes death of patients on daily basis

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Al- Thawra Net

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is worsening day by day, the main reason is the closure of Sana’a International Airport. It is the main port of 80 percent of the population, and it is the only one for hundreds of thousands of patients need treatment abroad and the delivery of airborne medicines.

The High Commission of Medicines and Medical Supplies in the capital Sana’a has released the latest statistics of repercussions and consequences of Saudi-led coalition war on the pharmaceutical sector in Yemen during four years of the war and siege.

“The Saudi-led coalition warplanes have bombed three pharmaceutical factories, using air strikes, which have caused serious damage and destroyed two oxygen production plants, which have been providing services to several hospitals, health centers and facilities, this led to the suspension of investment activity, especially in the field of pharmaceutical manufacturing, ” the commission said in its current report on the damages and losses of the sector.

According to medical reports, the dialysis center in Mahweet has stopped completely while other centers in several provinces will face the same fate because of the lack of solutions or the failure of the devices and their prevention by the aggression, which imposes a suffocating siege on Yemen.

The reports confirmed that the coalition on Yemen prevents the entry of life-saving devices such as respirators, dialysis machines and tomography.

Many patients have to travel by road to Sayoun or Aden and endure the hardships of the long road and the provocations of checkpoints along the way. Some are arbitrarily detained because of a picture in his phone or if there is a Zamil (Anthem of AnsarAllah) in his phone or because of the moods of pro-coalition militias.

Some of the patients were killed as a result of the armed clashes because of the unstable security situation in the provinces under the authority of the coalition militants or because of cutting or looting gangs along the road leading to Aden and Sayoun.

“The Saudi-led coalition war on Yemen and total siege imposed by the coalition countries have aggravated the health situation, caused a high increase of chronic diseases, multiple epidemics, acute drug shortages, and the destruction of warehouses and pharmaceutical factories, which have caused the rise of civilian casualties,” the Commission added.

The Commission also said that 120 kinds of chronic disease medicines are currently not available in the Ministry of Health stores, especially 50% cancer medications, which has caused the death toll to increase due to the difficulty of providing medicines, as well as the high price of medicines due to the increased shipping cost and high exchange rate.

“The import rate of medicines has decreased to approximately 60% of the average import during the years prior to the aggression,” the Commission added.

The report confirmed that “the blockade has resulted in the prohibition of the entry of certain medical materials for pharmaceutical industries from various Yemeni ports, and obstruction of the arrival of shipments and medical supplies that have been granted approval documents for importation and entry into Yemen, and the imposition of restrictions and arbitrary measures on ships loaded with medications.”

Source: Yemen Extra