Saudi Arabia leads international efforts to save children in Yemen

Aden, Mar 6: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) has provided treatment for more than 250,000 children suffering from malnutrition in Yemen, amid reports of ongoing Houthi violations in the war-torn country.

The center also provided 12 million vaccines for Yemeni children against measles, rubella, tetanus and whooping cough, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The news follows a UN report in February that detailed Houthi militias’ violations ranging from corruption and torture to breaches of international humanitarian law. In 2015, the UN verified 59 attacks against 34 hospitals in Yemen.

The health situation in Yemen, particularly that involving children, has seen a “deterioration” since the coup by Houthi militias and those loyal to deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh, SPA reported.

This has led to a “considerable drop in the country’s general services, particularly in the health field,” SPA said, citing official reports.

Houthi and Saleh-aligned militias “dared to prevent the delivery of medical aid and destroyed a number of medical facilities and institutions,” it added. The Riyadh-based KSrelief has sent more than 58 trucks carrying more than 600 tons of medical and therapeutic supplies to all Yemeni provinces, starting with Aden and Marib, SPA reported.

In partnership with the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), KSrelief opened many centers as part of the therapeutic nutrition program, as well as providing medical treatment and following up cases of acute malnutrition. KSrelief has “deployed new mobile teams all over Yemen and provided treatment for 258,067 children suffering from acute malnutrition,” SPA reported.

The center has provided support for immunization, reproductive health services, antenatal care and postnatal care, in addition to doing scans of 1,221,811 children in order to ascertain the extent of their health complaints.

KSrelief also provided anti-measles vaccines for 261,000 Yemeni children, services for pregnant women and post-delivery care for 222,659 women.

KSrelief, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), also helped provide basic services such as diabetes and cancer medicines, and support the operation of emergency rooms through the provision of 1,300,000 liters of fuel for 88 hospitals and 19 health facilities in Yemen, SPA said.