UNFPA: 1,500 pregnant women face death risk in Hodeidah

SANAA, Nov. 15 (YPA) – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) expressed concern that 1,500 pregnant women may be at risk of death as a result of the lack of access to Thawra Hospital in Hodeidah province.

In a statement, Louai Shabaneh, director of the Arab Region Fund, said Of the 10,000 women in conflict in Hodeidah, about 1,500 are likely to have complications related to pregnancy and childbirth and may be at risk of death due to the lack of access to Al Thawra Hospital, which is the only hospital in Hodeidah capable of providing emergency services.

He pointed that the Fund is spearheading efforts to provide urgent humanitarian assistance with a focus on essential reproductive health and lifesaving medicines as well as incentives for medical staff working to provide safe delivery services both natural and caesarean.

The statement stressed that UNFPA is committed to supporting the Yemeni people and working to prevent a humanitarian disaster in Yemen.

The statement called on all parties to the conflict to respect their legal obligations under international humanitarian law, to ensure protection of health workers, patients, health facilities and communities, and to facilitate humanitarian access to areas where people are increasingly in need of assistance.

Sameera Hassn