UNICEF Warns of Total Collapse of Basic Services in Yemen
YemenExtra
M.A.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned of the total collapse of basic services in Yemen because of the continuing devastating war that has been going on for five years.
The conflict in Yemen is entering its fifth year in which the salaries of more than 1.25 million government employees, including doctors, social workers and other public sector workers, have been suspended for more than two and a half years, the organization said in a report.
The organization pointed out that the interruption of salaries led to lower working hours in some vital facilities such as health facilities, schools, water and sanitation facilities and other basic social services.
The country’s basic public services are on the brink of total collapse, with only 51 percent of the total health facilities still functioning fully, despite a severe shortage of medicines, equipment and staff, the UNICEF report said.
“The war has pushed the health of society and obstetric care to the front line as civilian deaths are directly linked to a lack of resources,” it said.
The maternal mortality rate rose sharply during the war, from five deaths per day in 2013 to 12 deaths in 2018, according to the report.”These figures have other consequences. When a mother dies, this greatly increases the risk of her children dying. Children who have lost their mothers often have little chance of survival,” the report said.
One child in every 30 children dies during the first month of birth, according to the report. The infant whose mother has died has a higher risk of death, directly because of malnutrition or indirectly through increased exposure to infection.UNICEF called on all parties to the conflict and the international community to stop the war, maintain a functioning health care system, increase resources and improve health-promoting behaviors.
The Saudi-US coalition began its devastating attack on Yemen on March 25, 2015, causing the killing and wounding of many innocent civilians and the near collapse of basic services in the country.