WHO responds to the cancer care crisis in Yemen

On May 7, 2018, Sana - World Health Organization (WHO) has set up for various life savings of over 7 tons

Anticancer drug and chemotherapeutic agent to Sana'a National Cancer Center in Yemen

Thanks to the generous support of the World Bank and Germany, anticancer drugs are essential life saving agents that can compensate for the serious cancer patient shortage over a year.

The medicine was immediately delivered to the National Cancer Center in the center of Sana'a. Since 2005, more than 60,000 cancer patients (12% of them are children) from all over the country are receiving treatment at this center. An estimated 30,000 cancer patients still urgently need aggressive treatment (ie chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy or palliative care)

The challenges facing the center are not limited to drug shortages and inadequate operating costs. Due to ongoing conflicts, professional oncologists and other medical staff leave the country, wages of unpaid health care workers and deteriorating economic conditions also lead to loss of resources.

Dr. Nebio Sagaria, a representative of the World Health Organization in Yemen, says:

"This crisis has expanded the suffering of the people of Yemen, they are sick in illness for the prevention of disease, this is unacceptable.In order for everyone to be able to receive basic medical care We need to make more efforts. "

When the worst humanitarian crisis in the world enters the fourth year, health continues to move towards the direction of collapse. There are two battles of the people of Yemen. They will fight for their entire life, not only for armed conflict but also for poor physical condition. Non-contagious diseases, malnutrition, preventable diseases kill more people than bullets and bombs

Noninfectious diseases account for 39% of the main causes of death, and in Yemen's health facilities only 20% can treat cancer, diabetes, hypertension and other diseases.

Yemen's cancer patients have difficulty even before the conflict and can not afford expensive treatment. In 2017, there were only 10,000 patients who received some cancer treatment. However, the percentage of complete treatment in these 10,000 patients increased from 30% of complete treatment to 60%. Nevertheless, demand is still serious, and WHO plans to ship another anticancer drug in the first half of 2018.

Most of the Somali escaped from Yemen fled from Somalia to Somalia. Indeed, prior to the crisis, 257,645 internationally protected refugees were recognized in Yemen. Somali refugees are currently living in an unstable condition at the Karaz refugee camp in urban areas and the only refugee camp in Yemen. Yemen Somali refugees are facing difficult decisions to return to Somalia despite the risk of associated protection. Since the crisis expanded, 29,505 people (89% of Somalians, 10% of Yemenians, 1% of other countries) arrived in Somalia. The reintegration of the returnees of Somalia means that extensive conflicts and political conflicts weaken the basic infrastructure and more than three quarters of Somalia's population are unable to access medical care, adequate sanitation and safe drinking water It brings challenges.

Abnan is one of millions of children affected by the crisis in Yemen. The brutal confrontation between the Houthi army and its allies, and the military alliance between the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia have destroyed the country. More than 50,000 people died, injured, 2 million people did not go to school, and nearly 21 million people needed humanitarian aid. During the three and a half weeks of my work with my humanitarian affairs coordinator, I traveled across the country to meet people like Abu Nha and to take pictures. It was disastrous that I saw during my mission. Millions of people facing a comprehensive humanitarian crisis, immense suffering, it is largely hidden outside the world.