Yemen calls on UN to save lives of thousands of renal failure patients

The ministry announced in a statement on Saturday that the Saudi-led coalition does not allow the entry of required medicine and hospital equipment for patients suffering from renal failure in Yemen.

The statement added that health facilities are short of necessary medicine and medical supplies, and limited access to dialysis sessions and treatment put the lives of vulnerable renal failure patients at high risk.

The Yemeni health ministry also expressed hope that international and humanitarian institutions will fulfill their duties towards Yemeni patients.

The spokesmen for the ministry, Dr. Anis Al-Asbahi, also noted that the continued Riyadh-led military campaign and siege have prevented dialysis patients in Yemen from obtaining regular sessions.

The Sana’a-based National Salvation Government initially provided health care services to patients suffering from kidney failure. Later on, patients received dialysis treatment at hospitals run by international institutions. Their activities, according to Asbahi, have been particularly constrained due to ongoing conflict.

Asbahi also called for the lifting of the Saudi-led blockade and the opening of air, sea and land outlets, notably Sana’a International Airport, to all commercial and international flights and humanitarian assistance, especially for pharmaceutical shipments and medical supplies.

Saudi Arabia launched the devastating war on Yemen in March 2015 in collaboration with its Arab allies and with arms and logistics support from the US and other Western states.

The objective was to reinstall the Riyadh-friendly regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and crush the Ansarullah resistance movement, which has been running state affairs in the absence of a functional government in Yemen.

While the Saudi-led coalition has failed to meet any of its objectives, the war has killed hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.