Yemen’s Ministry of Health in Sana’a called on the international community and the United Nations to lift the blockade on Yemen and allow the unrestricted reopening of Sana’a International Airport for medical, therapeutic and food supplies.
In a statement, the ministry held the UN responsible for the continued humanitarian and health deterioration in the country.
During a press conference marking World Epidemic Preparedness Day, it urged international and humanitarian organizations to take urgent measures, resume support for health and nutrition programs, and strengthen rapid-response systems to emerging disease threats.
The ministry said that years of war and blockade have created conditions conducive to the spread of epidemics, describing the ongoing restrictions as a “collective war crime” and a violation of international humanitarian law.
It added that preventing future pandemics requires ending hostilities and lifting all restrictions.
According to the statement, the targeting of health facilities and critical infrastructure, along with limits on fuel and medicine imports, has severely weakened Yemen’s health system, increased mortality, and accelerated the spread of communicable diseases.
The ministry reported that millions of Yemenis face hunger, malnutrition and limited access to healthcare amid funding shortfalls and shortages of medical staff, noting that health protection is a fundamental human right. It said that 542 health facilities have been affected by the conflict — 165 destroyed and 376 partially damaged — in addition to damage to water and sanitation systems.
It added that nearly 17 million people suffer from acute food insecurity, while 2.6 million children under five are malnourished, including 630,000 with severe acute malnutrition. More than 20 million people, it said, lack access to basic healthcare services.
The ministry also cited more than 12.9 million reported cases of infectious diseases and 1,776 related deaths over the reporting period, warning that continued restrictions pose a growing threat to regional and global public health.
The statement renewed its call to lift the blockade and fully reopen Sanaa airport to humanitarian shipments, warning that the continuation of current measures represents a direct danger to public health.
