Sana’a Health Ministry: 17 million suffering from acute hunger and 3.6 million children at risk due to the Saudi siege

Sana’a – Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

The Ministry of Health and Environment in Sana’a held a press conference today, during which it revealed catastrophic humanitarian repercussions as a result of the Saudi-American siege on Sana’a International Airport.

The Ministry of Health stated that more than 17 million people are suffering from acute hunger, including 3.6 million children, of whom 630,000 are in critical condition directly threatening their lives.

The ministry explained that more than 20 million citizens are deprived of basic health care, with 8,000 dialysis patients facing slow death.

The statement indicated that 2,300 children have been diagnosed with leukemia since the beginning of the aggression, and that the use of prohibited weapons has doubled the infection rate, while the closure of Sana’a Airport has compounded their suffering due to the depletion of medicines.

The ministry revealed that between (2021-2025), the Supreme Medical Committee recorded 18,370 cases of chronic diseases requiring travel abroad, and that the capacity of the pharmaceutical market has declined by 60%, with 83 companies and importers ceasing operations, 1,600 types of medicines disappearing, and 83 international pharmaceutical companies withdrawing from the market due to import complexities.

The ministry affirmed that the siege on Sana’a International Airport has deprived 200,000 patients of the opportunity to travel abroad for treatment, and that estimates indicate the death of 28,000 cancer patients in recent years, as a result of not receiving appropriate treatment or the inability to travel abroad.

The ministry called on the United Nations and UN organizations not to turn a blind eye to this catastrophic tragedy, holding the Saudi regime responsible for the catastrophic humanitarian and health repercussions of its aggression and suffocating siege, amid reprehensible international and UN silence, and demanding the opening of Sana’a International Airport to all humanitarian and commercial flights continuously, to multiple destinations, and the lifting of the naval blockade and arbitrary measures.