Blockade deprives 20 million Yemenis of healthcare, threatens lives of 400,000 children

SANAA, July 21 (YPA) – The Ministry of Health in Sanaa government stated that the ongoing blockade and the closure of Sanaa International Airport for over 11 years have exacerbated the health and humanitarian situation, preventing thousands of patients from traveling abroad for medical treatment, while direct targeting losses to the health sector have exceeded $7 billion.

According to the ministry, approximately 17 million people suffer from acute hunger, and over 3.6 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition, including 630,000 children affected by severe acute malnutrition. Furthermore, 400,000 children face the risk of starvation, while more than 20 million Yemenis are deprived of basic healthcare.

The ministry noted that 12,988,378 cases of communicable diseases, including 1,776 deaths, were recorded from 2024 through the 45th week of 2025, warning of the consequences of medicine shortages for cancer, kidney failure, and diabetes patients.

The ministry called on the international community to lift the blockade and ensure the entry of aid and medicine, describing it as a legal and humanitarian responsibility. It also endorsed the armed forces’ declaration of a navigation ban on Saudi Arabia under the “siege-for-siege” equation.

YPA