Ma’rib – Seven years of war has devastated the health system in Yemen, with only half of facilities now fully functional. With the support of the Government of Japan, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has provided life-saving health services to nearly 56,000 people in Al Jufainah - Yemen’s largest displacement site - in the last year. 

Ma’rib governorate hosts the highest number of displaced people in the country with an estimated 860,000 people displaced in Ma’rib Governorate since the start of the conflict in 2015, according to the UN. IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix estimates that nearly 78,500 individuals were displaced in the governorate in 2021 alone.  

The increasing needs of those displaced by the conflict have further stretched resources and put extra pressure on already weakened public health services in Ma’rib. 

“Thanks to the Government of Japan, we have been able to provide lifesaving health care to people displaced and affected by years of conflict,” said Christa Rottensteiner, IOM Yemen Chief of Mission. 

“This support has become even more urgent over the past year, as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened health needs and negatively affected the availability and accessibility of health services.” 

Maternal and child mortality is on the rise in Yemen. One mother and six newborns die every two hours, and 21.9 million people need support to access health services according to the United Nations. 

“The scale of the needs in Yemen is alarming, and indicative of how desperate the humanitarian situation is in Yemen,” added Rottensteiner.  

With Japan’s support, medical consultations and treatment were provided to populations affected and displaced by the conflict through IOM’s static and mobile clinics. 

Services include essential maternal care which reached nearly 3,000 women, as well as initiatives to raise awareness among pregnant women on safe pregnancy and childbirth. 

IOM also provided training to 226 health workers on psychological first aid and psychosocial support to strengthen their capacity and improve the quality of healthcare provision in public facilities. 

###

For more information, please contact IOM Yemen: 

Angela Wells, Email: awells@iom.int, Tel: +967 773 552233, 

Avand Hasan, Email: avhasan@iom.int, Tel: +967 737 062119  

IOM Yemen’s Communications Team at iomyemenmediacomm@iom.int