News from 2022-03-16 / KfW Development Bank
Handover of a rehabilitated maternity hospital in Sana'a
Since December 2019, public health facilities in Yemen have been rebuilt, rehabilitated and equipped - in cooperation with UNOPS. On 09 March 2022, the first fully rehabilitated facility in the capital Sana'a was handed over to the hospital management.
In the eighth year of conflict, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains one of the worst in the world. Both the country's economy and public service provision have largely collapsed. Yemen's health sector is particularly affected. Currently, barely half of all health facilities in Yemen are functional and these are often in poor condition. In addition to the ongoing warfare in various parts of the country, a lack of basic equipment and regular power cuts are limiting factors for the operation of the facilities.
At the same time, infectious diseases such as cholera, malaria, dengue fever and COVID-19 remain widespread. Among the population, the need for basic services as well as obstetric care is high.
To address this emergency, KfW has been working with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) since 2019 to implement the project "Strengthening resilience by improving the capacity of health facilities in Yemen". In three project phases, 19 health facilities and 21 isolation wards for the treatment of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 will be rehabilitated or newly built and equipped. In addition, training measures for health personnel are being financed. In the capital Sana'a, the Al-Sabeen maternity hospital is supported as one of the most important reference hospitals in the region.
Successful handover of the rehabilitated Al-Sabeen maternity hospital in Sana'a
The official handover ceremony for the hospital took place on site with a virtual connection from the BMZ and KfW Frankfurt. In his address, Mr. Stumm, BMZ transitional aid officer, emphasised the high priority to ensure health care, especially for particularly vulnerable population groups such as women. They make up about half of the patients treated at Al-Sabeen Hospital. Marc Engelhardt, Head of the Middle East Division, praised the good cooperation with UNOPS as an important partner in the region.
The programme manager of UNOPS, Lama Krayim, thanked Germany and KfW for funding this "important project in difficult times". The head of the hospital, Dr Majeda Al-Khateeb, emphasised that thanks to the support of the project, many women and their newborns can now be better cared for. A participant of the training measures added that nursing care is now much improved due to the newly acquired skills.
The project makes an important contribution to addressing health risks in Yemen and to strengthening the resilience of the population.
