Yemen’s health minister states Sanaa airport closure denies medicine to thousands of patients.
Yemeni Health Minister Dr. Ali Shaiban called on the United Nations and international organizations to take immediate action to end this humanitarian disaster and not remain silent in the face of it.
He called for serious action to allow the entry of vital medicines and medical equipment through Sana’a International Airport, adding that the siege and closure of Sana’a Airport has deprived thousands of patients of vital medicines, including medicines for kidney transplant patients, blood products, hormonal and immune drugs, resuscitation and anesthesia drugs, anticoagulants, and some diagnostic solutions.
The Yemeni Health Minister added: Many of these medicines require special transportation conditions such as refrigeration, and the closure of the airport has caused a severe shortage of them.
Shaiban said: The current reality is the best evidence of the depth of this disaster, and patients with chronic diseases are at risk of death without vital medicines.
Stating that the aggressor forces have no human or moral considerations in the siege they have imposed on the Yemeni people, he added: Humanity has never experienced such a siege, and the silence of the international community and global organizations in this regard is shameful.
Sheiban noted that the indirect damage caused by the siege is much greater than the direct damage to infrastructure, as it is impossible to calculate the extent of the damage caused by the deprivation of people from medicine and medical services.
He added that this situation has also prevented the implementation of health sector development programs and responding to the needs of the Yemeni people.
Yemen’s Minister of Health stated that the suspension of flights from Sana’a airport has deprived thousands of patients of the opportunity to travel for treatment from abroad, and that medicines that can only be transported by air are not entering the country.