Today's Edition
Dina Mahmoud (London)
Amid escalating fears of the continued deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen, despite what seems like a relative calm that has prevailed on the ground for about a year and a half, international warnings are increasing about the danger of ignoring the severe health problems Yemenis face.
Independent estimates indicate that the number of casualties of the Yemeni conflict over the past nine years ranges between 377,000 and 400,000 deaths, in addition to tens of thousands of injured, and millions of internally displaced persons and refugees.
Many overlook the fact that a large number of Yemenis suffer from severe psychological crises due to the horrors they have experienced since the Houthi group’s coup against the legitimate government in Sana’a in the fall of 2014.
According to data from the World Health Organisation (WHO), millions of Yemenis face crises due to psychological trauma and social and economic pressures they experienced during the years of the bloody conflict. This situation has only exacerbated the devastation wrought upon the country’s healthcare sector, reducing its capacity to the most basic services.
Officials from the United Nations (UN) have said that Yemeni health authorities’ direct focus on treating life-threatening risks has led to insufficient attention being paid to mental and psychological health issues over the years. According to UN officials, Yemenis’ needs for psychological support have intensified in light of the current conflict, with escalating violence and many being forced to flee, in addition to a significant percentage suffering from unemployment, hunger, and poverty.
This is especially true considering the World Food Programme’s warning that over four million Yemenis will be deprived of its aid during the last quarter of this year due to funding shortages. The Yemeni government confirmed a few months ago that the poverty rate in the country has risen to about 80% as a result of the national economy contracting by almost 50%.
Consequently, unemployment rates have reached nearly 70% of the total workforce.
International estimates report that about seven million people in Yemen this year alone have said that they need support and treatment for mental health problems. However, only around 120,000 of these individuals can consistently access the health services they need.
The UN’s “ReliefWeb” site quoted Dr. Arturo Pesigan, the WHO’s representative in Yemen, as saying that even before the outbreak of the current conflict, the healthcare system in Yemen struggled to integrate mental and psychological health services into its framework.
At the same time, Pesigan noted that the medical sector in Yemen still cannot obtain comprehensive data on those suffering from such problems due to fears of societal and cultural stigmatisation. A previous study on the state of mental health in Yemen, covering about 42% of its population, revealed that 45% of these people suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Moreover, 27% of respondents reported being diagnosed with depression, while another 25% reported experiencing pathological anxiety resulting from the ongoing violence. There are currently no indicators on the horizon for the possibility of finding a final resolution to the conflict.
