SANA’A (Dispatches) – More than 80 newborn babies lose their lives on a daily basis because Yemen does not have the required medical equipment due to the Saudi-led war and blockade, an official with Yemen’s Health Ministry says.
Najeeb Al-Qubati, the undersecretary of Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population for the Population Sector, made the remarks while addressing a local event.
Some 39 percent of babies are premature, which shows a significant rise compared to the period before the start of the war, he said.
The official said the use of prohibited weapons was one of the reasons behind the growing trend. He said several human rights organizations have already acknowledged and condemned Saudis for using such arms.
Yemeni medical centers are in need of some 2,000 incubators, he said, noting that 632 incubators have been provided so far.
Since launching the war with the support of Washington in March 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has used internationally-banned weapons, including U.S.-made cluster bombs, to target residential areas, according to the Cluster Munition Monitor.
Apart from the war, Saudi Arabia has imposed a blockade on Yemen which, combined, have claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The military aggression has destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure, including the health sector.
Yemen’s Health Ministry said mosquito-borne diseases, such as Malaria and dengue fever, have been on the rise since the start of the war.
Muhammad al-Mansour, the undersecretary of Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population for the Primary Care Sector, said war and blockade were two main reasons behind the increase of epidemics and diseases in the country.
Failure to implement malaria control program led to a rise in cases from 513,000 in 2015 to 1,100,000 in 2019, he said, noting the rate was higher in areas where citizens were displaced such as in Hudaydah.
The blockade has also increased the number of cancer patients by 50 percent. The figure showed 46,204 cases registered during the year 2021.
The ministry said the Saudi-led war had destroyed 162 health facilities completely or 375 partially and put them out of work.