The World Health Organization (WHO) has executed a transformative project with robust backing from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center. The initiative saw the strategic installation of oxygen stations across five Yemeni governorates, delivering indispensable benefits to over 200,000 Yemenis.
“With generous support from King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), WHO has implemented a transformative project, installing five oxygen stations across Abyan, Hadhramaut, Al Maharah, Marib, and Shabwah governorates in Yemen,” WHO said.
According to the UN Organization, “these stations, each set up in a major hospital, address the critical need for a sustainable medical oxygen source in remote health facilities.”
“This strategic move not only cuts costs but also fortifies health facilities, stabilizing operational capacities and ensuring a reliable source of medical oxygen. The impact extends beyond basic care to also benefit intensive care units, nursery units, emergency units, operating theatres, and other treatment units,” WHO added.
The Organization revealed that “the project has surpassed expectations, touching the lives of 235,943 beneficiaries, including 85,454 people who received life-changing oxygen therapy."
"This initiative has gone beyond its goals, significantly enhancing the health care landscape and health and well-being in the five governorates.”
Life breathes easier
Dr. Mohyeldin Al-Zubaidi unveils the impactful journey of KSrelief’s oxygen station in Tarim district, Hadhramaut.
“The COVID-19 emergency posed an unprecedented challenge for the hospital and its staff. An absence of the necessary interventions, especially oxygen-related treatments, compelled patient transfers, causing immense distress to families and caregivers,” he said.
Al-Zubaidi is a dedicated general practitioner in the emergency room of Tarim Hospital.
“This hospital has a remarkable impact on the community,” remarked Al-Zubaidi. “The Tarim district has witnessed a significant improvement in health care access due to the installation of a cutting-edge oxygen station at the hospital. People can now easily access the oxygen supply they need.”
Al-Zubaidi’s team cares for a diverse range of people, including society’s most vulnerable. The hospital supports those in critical need, such as elderly people, newborns, and infants suffering from heart and lung disorders or congenital heart problems.
“In the past, patients had to travel long distances to different districts in search of oxygen, risking fatalities and encountering additional health complications due to the distance and lack of available services,” explained Al-Zubaidi. “However, with the establishment of the oxygen station in the Tarim district, it has become a cornerstone for the area.”
WHO confirmed that the crisis in Yemen “has left many health facilities grappling with urgent needs that must be met to be able to provide essential health services.”
“These needs include electricity and fuel: a shortage affecting both the public and private sectors and disrupting oxygen production is making an already critical situation worse.”
“Medical oxygen is a life-saving and therapeutic treatment for various medical conditions. These include both acute and chronic diseases such as respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, COVID-19, and pneumonia, along with critical complications across all age groups.
"Demand for oxygen is growing, yet in many countries, including Yemen, delivering the much-needed quantity to the health system remains a significant challenge,” according to the Organization.
