Houthi militias in Yemen have gone beyond the pale by seizing 20% of the financial income of hospitals, clinics, and medical laboratories working in Sanaa. The Iran-backed guerrillas will funnel the collected funds to their senior leaders.
The arbitrary measure follows Houthis demanding that major hospitals and clinics, as of August, start paying the salaries of hundreds of its fighters, well-informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat under conditions of anonymity.
For the last two weeks, Houthi militants staged a far-reaching campaign that saw them install surveillance cameras over accountants' offices in over 80 private hospitals, 960 public clinics, 195 medical laboratories, and 890 private clinics.
The absurd monitoring system is meant to help the Iran-backed militia tighten its grip over the finances of the health sector and discover if institutions are hiding any revenues from the group.
Meanwhile, health workers in Sanaa affirmed that the campaign could not come at a worse time, given that the sector still is suffering from systematic targeting and extortion.
As for the latest levy imposed on health facilities, Houthis demand that 20% of total income be paid as “Khumus” to their leader’s family.
“Under many pretexts, Houthis have launched widespread campaigns against health sector facilities. In one of the campaigns, more than 110 private medical centers were closed in Sanaa and other areas run by the group,” sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Health workers and local reports have affirmed that the Houthi systemic targeting of the sector had triggered a hike in hospital and clinic fees, impacting the lives of thousands of Yemeni patients.
Moreover, Houthis have raised the fees for health sector licensing.
Each doctor now needs to pay 40,000 Yemeni rials to the group to practice medicine in areas of their control. Before the coup, medical practitioners paid the state a fee of 1,500 Yemeni rials.
