Yemen

Fieldset

The Middle Eastern country of Yemen borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the east. Civil war broke out in Yemen in 2015, when fighting began between anti-government Houthi forces and the Saudi-led coalition.

Millions of people have had to flee their homes. Hundreds of health facilities across the country have stopped functioning due to airstrikes and shelling, plus a lack of supplies, funding and staff. The rising cost of living has made it extremely hard for families to meet basic needs.

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) first worked in Yemen in 1994. Our recent projects have focused on supporting the Yemeni populations affected by the conflict on all sides of the frontlines.

Heidi Wikstrom

Surgeon

Yemen: Good complaints

After a patient makes an astonishing recovery, Finnish surgeon Heidi reflects on the wider problem of providing medical care in places where resources are limited

16 Sep 2019 / 3 minute read

Heidi outside the MSF health centre in Yemen

Heidi Wikstrom

Surgeon

Yemen: A dangerous diagnosis

Finnish surgeon Heidi Wikstrom has just arrived in Yemen, where an unexpected diagnosis could have a wider impact in the community

30 Aug 2019 / 5 minute read

Georgina Woolveridge

Doctor

Yemen diary, part two: Entitlement

In part two of her diary from Yemen, Dr Georgina Woolveridge writes about the patients at the hospital in Al Udayn, Yemen...

26 Jul 2019 / 4 minute read

Georgina Woolveridge

Doctor

Yemen diary, part one: The dilemma

With war raging and the economy in collapse, people in Yemen are facing increasingly impossible decisions. As she and the team race to save a tiny patient, Dr Georgina Woolveridge meets one of them...

13 Jul 2019 / 4 minute read

Ahmed Alhitary

Biomedical scientist

Innovation: How WiFi could help our patients breathe more easily

From “smart” doorbells to thermostat apps, technology increasingly allows us to monitor and control our homes remotely. In war-torn Yemen, where the demands on our staff are large and room for error is small, one of our team is asking, could this work for hospitals too?

04 Jul 2019 / 3 minute read

MSF doctors and nurses during an emergency case at the trauma center, Taiz Houban,

Alex Dunne

Advocacy

Yemen: “Our teams are working around the clock"

Airstrikes, landmines, a health system on the brink of collapse: people in Yemen are living through a grueling civil war. Alex Dunne shares his experience after 12 months in our team there…

18 Jun 2019 / 3 minute read

A patient lies on a stretcher in MSF's project in Mocha, Yemen

Marissa Gripenberg

Epidemiologist

Yemen: "Medical care shouldn't be a luxury"

Finnish epidemiologist Marissa is in Yemen, where years of conflict have had a devastating impact on the healthcare system

01 Apr 2019 / 5 minute read

Marissa Gripenberg

Epidemiologist

Feeling at home: An amazing connection in Yemen

Amidst the ongoing conflict in Yemen, Finnish epidemiologist Marissa finds a pocket of familiarity when she visits a local family

25 Mar 2019 / 3 minute read

Ahmed Alhitary

Biomedical scientist

Innovation: Breathing better with technology

In a busy hospital in Yemen, MSF staff work hard to ensure life-saving oxygen is available for the patients who need it most. As demand grows, one biomedical scientist is exploring how technology can help. Ahmed Alhitary blogs…

22 Mar 2019 / 5 minute read

Marissa Gripenberg

Epidemiologist

Mapping the hotspots: How I help to fight disease in Yemen

Epidemiologist Marissa arrives in war-torn Yemen, ready to help track and tackle disease outbreaks in a county where the healthcare system has collapsed

18 Mar 2019 / 5 minute read

Chris Hook

Doctor

Yemen: Giving hope to people caught in the crossfire

British doctor Chris Hook has just returned from Yemen. Since August, he has worked as part of MSF’s emergency team helping to set up a hospital in the Al Salakhana district of Hodeidah city. From the beginning of November, the city has experienced heavy fighting and shelling with battles getting close to the hospital…

11 Jan 2019 / 4 minute read

women and children walk through the streets of Taiz

Niamh O'Brien

Doctor

Yemen: “I could see the consequences of violence everywhere”

In Yemen, more than three years of war have left millions of people without enough income to meet their basic needs. The deterioration of living conditions, collapse of services, trade and livelihoods are having tangible and devastating effects on the population. Niamh O’Brien is an Irish doctor who has recently returned from Al Houban, near the city of Taiz, where she worked in a mother and child hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

13 Aug 2018 / 5 minute read