Health Ministry: 5,000 patients with kidney failure are at risk of death due to running out of medicines
SANAA, Jan. 14 (YPA) – The Ministry of Public Health and Population on Saturday warned of a humanitarian catastrophe that threatens the lives of more than 5,000 patients with renal failure, as a result of the depletion of solutions and medicines.
In a press conference held in Sanaa on Saturday, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for the therapeutic medicine sector, Dr. Ali Jahaf, said “We have addressed the United Nations and health organizations operating in Yemen that we need to provide sufficient drug stocks for dialysis sessions for the year 2023, without receiving a response despite many communications and meetings in this regard.”
Dr. Jahf held the international community and the United Nations responsible for providing urgent dialysis sessions to save patients’ lives, stressing that “dialysis centers are standing today on the verge of stopping, and the stock in dialysis centers is not enough for less than two weeks.”
He pointed out that the continuation of the blockade on Sanaa airport and the port of Hodeida exacerbated the suffering of patients and the health sector as a result of the difficulty of importing and the complicated procedures imposed by the Saudi-led coalition.
A statement issued in the press conference demanded that international and international organizations quickly provide dialysis sessions urgently so that dialysis centers continue to operate and save patients’ lives.
The statement indicated that more than 5,000 patients with kidney failure are threatened with inevitable death if the dialysis sessions are stopped, in addition to the suspension of more than 17 renal treatment centers at the provinces level, with two centers destroyed by direct bombardment.
The coalition continued to prevent the maintenance requirements for ascites devices, which number more than 498 devices in need of maintenance, according to the statement.
The statement pointed out that dialysis patients need 500,000 dialysis sessions annually, as the session price ranges from 30 to 40 dollars, not to mention the accompanying medicines and analyzes for each session, referring that the Public Al-Thawra Hospital receives 170 to 220 cases per day from different regions of the provinces of the Republic.
Speeches were delivered during the press conference reviewing the patients’ suffering in light of the continued aggression and siege, the lack of medicines and solutions, and the suspension of salaries.
YPA