Health Ministry Condemns Attacks on Aid Facilities in Al-Khawkhah

The Ministry of Public Health and Population has strongly condemned the looting, vandalism, and attacks targeting health and humanitarian facilities and programs funded by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) in Al-Khawkhah and the West Coast. The ministry warned of the severe repercussions these actions will have on medical services provided to citizens and displaced persons.

In a statement, the ministry detailed that the assaults have impacted essential health clinics, facilities, and services, posing a significant threat to the continuity of medical care. This situation exacerbates the suffering of patients and the injured, particularly children, women, and displaced individuals, amidst the prevailing humanitarian conditions in the region.

The ministry emphasized that targeting health facilities results in more than just material damage; it leads to the deprivation of thousands of beneficiaries from vital medical services. It underscored the imperative to keep health facilities and their personnel neutral in the conflict, ensuring their safety, protecting equipment and medicines, and enabling these institutions to continue their operations without threat.

The Ministry of Health has directed relevant authorities, in coordination with the Public Health and Population Office in Hodeidah Governorate, to inventory and document the damages. This will include assessing the impact on the sustainability of health services and identifying the necessary resources for the rehabilitation of the affected facilities.

The ministry expressed its appreciation for the support provided by KSrelief to the health sector in Yemen. It reiterated that damage to health projects and facilities directly undermines the health system's capacity to deliver services to citizens and displaced populations.

The ministry appealed to international partners and humanitarian organizations to support efforts aimed at protecting health facilities and medical teams, and to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian and health assistance and services to the most vulnerable groups.