Mohammed Ahmed Manasar Abdurabouh, 60, a patient from Al-Twahi district, Aden Governorate (WHO-Yemen/2021)
“Suspended between life and death, I spent 10 days fighting COVID-19 at home, in bed. I was suffering pain in my ribs, stomach, and back, and was struggling to breathe. Finally, after I was transferred to a treatment center, I recovered and got my life back.” Mohammed Ahmed Manasar Abdurabouh
Working in Harsh Conditions
Each day in Yemen, frontline healthcare workers risk their lives to save patients like Mr. Abdurabouh. The decision to go to work is not an easy one, especially for people who work at infectious disease centers and deal with critical cases of COVID-19 until their health improves. In turn, many clinicians have left the profession, and, those who have stayed, feel a duty and a deep sense of responsibility to relieve suffering and protect lives.
Thirty-eight-year-old Wajdi Sweidan, a lab technician at Tarim Hospital, in Hadramout, contracted COVID-19 while he was taking samples from a patient. After recovering, his family tried to convince him to stop working at the centre, but he was determined to help patients get through the “harshest illness” he has ever experienced.
Partnering to Save Lives
According to the Health Resources Availability and Mapping System (HeRAMS), less than 50% of Yemen’s health facilities are fully functional, and the number of civilians in acute need of health services has increased dramatically since 2020. This has been further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent deterioration of public systems and negative outcomes related to food insecurity, water and sanitation, and public health – especially for those living in displacement camps.
Fortunately, thanks to the partnership between the King Salman Humanitarian Relief Centre (KSrelief) and the World Health Organization (WHO), infectious disease centers throughout Yemen have been able to build their capacity in oxygen therapy, primary care, infection prevention measures, and have received financial support to help personnel continue working. In addition to providing cutting-edge medical devices and targeted drugs to alleviate suffering and help COVID-19 patients recover, the partnership has provided training and rehabilitation programs for health staff that have helped them expand their expertise in dealing with infections.
In an effort to reduce the incidence and prevalence of cases, the partners are also supporting intensive care units, providing oxygen and medical supplies to treatment centres, and boosting the capacity of national referral laboratories through basic equipment, supplies, and staff training. To date, the partnership has directly benefitted 16,473,656 Yemenis, and another 29,825,968 indirectly.