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.

Tamara Molina Montalvo

Midwife

“We had no idea what was coming”: My time on a maternity ward in Yemen

After an intense assignment on a maternity ward in Yemen, MSF midwife Tamara reflects on the meaningful and sometimes complex moments faced by the team at Abs Hospital

22 Mar 2021 / 6 minute read

Silvia Marchesi

Anaesthetics

Yemen: The two sides of a war

For the intensive care team in Aden, southern Yemen, traumatic injuries are only one part of the story. Doctor Silvia Marchesi blogs about the dedication of a team striving to save lives in the midst of conflict.

25 Feb 2021 / 6 minute read

Tamara Molina Montalvo

Midwife

"It's like working with your eyes closed": Delivering babies in Yemen's civil war

Years of brutal civil war have pushed Yemen's healthcare system to collapse. From a maternity ward in the battle-scarred city of Abs, MSF midwife Tamara takes us through the challenges of welcoming new life into this unstable world.

08 Feb 2021 / 4 minute read

MSF staff with a young patient receiving high flow treatment in Yemen

Alison Moebus

Nurse

The game-changer: How one MSF team is saving Yemen’s smallest patients

MSF teams work in crisis zones where high-tech treatments often aren’t available. Paediatric nurse Alison Moebus explains how one determined team in Yemen is overcoming this challenge.

15 Sep 2020 / 5 minute read

Zainab

Health Promoter

Yemen: The strength to save my family

Health educator Zainab shares her deeply personal story of heartbreak and determination amid Yemen's brutal civil war

15 Jul 2020 / 6 minute read

Murad

Security guard

Yemen: “Violence begets more violence”

MSF security guard Murad shares his family's experience of living through a brutal civil war in this powerful and personal story from Yemen

06 Jul 2020 / 6 minute read

Bullet wounds are common at Al Salakhana hospital in Yemen, which is in the midst of a civil war.

Georgina Woolveridge

Doctor

The silver chain: How to save a life in Yemen

Independent. Neutral. Impartial. Australian doctor Georgina witnesses MSF’s values in action as an emergency unfolds at a hospital in war-torn Yemen.

25 Nov 2019 / 4 minute read

Emergency surgery at Al Salakhanah hospital in Yemen

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