Yemen Government Warns Taiz Hospitals on Brink of Collapse Amid Houthi Siege
Hospitals in Taiz, Yemen, are facing an imminent shutdown due to severe shortages of fuel, medicine, and medical supplies under a tightened Houthi blockade, according to the Yemeni government.
Yemen's internationally recognized government has issued a grave warning about an "imminent health and humanitarian catastrophe" in the besieged city of Taiz, located in the country's southwest. This comes as Houthi militants continue their blockade, severely obstructing the flow of essential supplies to the city.
The Yemeni Ministry of Public Health and Population reported that medical facilities in Taiz are critically low on medicines, intravenous fluids, medical supplies, and fuel. They warned that vital services such as emergency care, surgery, intensive care, dialysis, and neonatal services could be forced to cease operations, placing patients, injured individuals, pregnant women, and newborns at immediate risk.
Highlights
- Hospitals in Taiz are facing critical shortages of fuel, medicines, and medical supplies.
- The Yemeni government warns of an "imminent health and humanitarian catastrophe" due to the Houthi siege.
- Essential services like emergency care and intensive care are at risk of shutting down.
- Fuel scarcity threatens power generators, ambulances, and the cold chain for medicines.
- The government has called for an immediate lifting of the siege and reopening of supply routes.
Details
The ministry further highlighted that fuel shortages jeopardize electricity generators, ambulances, and the cold chains necessary for preserving medicines and vaccines, which could lead to "severe complications and preventable deaths." The Yemeni government has urged the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to deliver critical supplies, including medicines, intravenous fluids, medical supplies, oxygen, and fuel, to the city's health facilities.
The Houthi movement, an armed group backed by Iran, seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and currently controls the northern parts of the country. Taiz experienced a devastating Houthi siege between 2015 and 2016. Although that siege was broken, a partial blockade persisted through other access points. An agreement in 2024 to reopen an eastern route was short-lived, as renewed fighting led to its closure.
Nabil Jamil, director-general of the Yemeni government's planning and development office in Taiz, stated that the current siege is "more comprehensive and its impact more severe than in 2015." Approximately 2.8 million people reside in government-held areas of the governorate, with an additional 200,000 recently displaced. The price of a 20-liter container of petrol on the black market has surged from 30,000 Yemeni riyals ($19) to 90,000 ($58).
Why it matters
The escalating humanitarian crisis in Taiz further imperils Yemen's already fragile health system. The siege obstructs civilians' access to essential healthcare, posing significant risks to vulnerable populations including patients, the injured, pregnant women, and newborns. This situation underscores a severe humanitarian crisis demanding urgent intervention from the international community.