Health Minister: Saudi-Led Siege Is Causing Deadly Healthcare Shortages

The Minister of Public Health and Population, Taha Al-Mutawakel, said that the death of a sick woman at Sana’a International Airport is a result of the siege imposed on Yemen by Saudi-led coalition forces.

In a statement to Al-Masirah TV, Taha Al-Mutawakel affirmed that three flights per week do not meet the needs of a country like Yemen, and that it is a real tragedy for patients who need to travel for medical treatment abroad.

The Minister of Health noted that the arrival of medical delegations is the best way to save thousands of patients, since less than 10% of patients are able to travel because of the siege.

The coalition prevented the arrival of an Italian medical mission, which included specialists that are not available in Yemen, despite the mission providing information to reassure that its mission is purely medical. The coalition also refused the entry of pediatric heart surgeons to Sanaa, he affirmed.

He added, “Sana’a airport is still under siege, so we cannot bring in radiological devices, import medicines directly, or bring in medical personnel.”