Yemeni Minister of Public Health and Population, Dr. Taha al-Mutawakel, has said on Monday that not a single patient has traveled via Sana’a International Airport yet, despite the passage of two weeks of the UN-declared armistice.
The Health Minister added that is because “the Saudi-led coalition continues to delay the opening of Sana’a International Airport.”
During a meeting to review the strategic directions of the health sector and evaluate hospitals for the year 2021, Dr. al-Mutawakel affirmed that the coalition continues to detain diesel ships, which exacerbate the suffering in hospitals and health centers.
He indicated that 525 hospitals and health centers were directly destroyed during the years of war and siege.
“Through the siege, the coalition aims to disrupt the provision of medical services in hospitals and medical centers that remain operating under war conditions,” the health minister said.
He explained that 98% of the quality devices of the medical sector in Yemen have exceeded their lifespan, and a number of them are out of readiness.
In the meeting, Dr. al-Mutawakel concluded that the Health Ministry’s basic strategy is directed towards the countryside, aiming to provide medical services and reduce the burden of transport on the citizens.
