Nearly 56,000 Ma'rib residents receive lifesaving health care thanks to the IOM and Japan

As a result of years of conflict and war, around half of Yemen's medical facilities are currently operating at full capacity. Last year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Japanese government provided life-saving medical aid to Al Jufainah, Yemen's largest displacement center.

Since the crisis began in 2015, over 860,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in Ma'rib Governorate. According to data from the International Organization for Migration's Displacement Tracking Matrix, an estimated 78,500 people will be displaced from their homes in the governorate alone by 2021.

Ma'rib's public health services are already strained as a result of the surge of refugees fleeing the violence. "Thanks to the government of Japan, we have been able to deliver critical health treatment to those who have been uprooted and destroyed," said Christa Rottensteiner, IOM Yemen's Chief of Mission.

As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, which has been ongoing for the past year, health needs have escalated, and health services have become less readily available.

Yemen's maternal and infant mortality rates are growing. According to the United Nations, one mother and six newborns die every two hours. Rottensteiner correctly termed Yemen's demands as "astonishing."

With the assistance of the Japanese government, the IOM's fixed and mobile clinics treated conflict-affected and displaced populations.Approximately 3,000 women received prenatal care and pregnancy and delivery education. It also taught 226 healthcare personnel psychological first aid and psychosocial support to improve the quality of treatment offered by public institutions.