Yemen’s Minister of Public Health and Population, Qasim Buhaibeh, has warned that continued declines in funding could lead to the complete loss of health services in some areas, stressing that the healthcare system’s capacity to absorb additional waves of displacement is not unlimited.
According to Health Ministry data updated through June 2026, 19.3 million people in Yemen need health assistance, while funding for the humanitarian response has reached only 17% of the amount required.
Buhaibeh said resource shortages have forced some health facilities to close and caused shortages of medicines, medical supplies and fuel, threatening emergency services, maternal and child healthcare, vaccination and nutrition programs, as well as dialysis and cancer treatment.
He estimated that fewer than 50% of health facilities are currently operating at full capacity, down from around 60% in a World Health Organization estimate published earlier this year.
Amid escalating violence along Yemen’s western coast, the minister said 134,550 people had been displaced between June and September 22, with most of them concentrated in Taiz, Lahj and Aden. The displacement has placed additional pressure on already under-resourced health facilities.
He warned that displacement, malnutrition and low vaccination coverage are occurring alongside outbreaks of cholera, measles and polio. More than 27,000 confirmed measles cases were recorded in 2025, while about half of Yemen’s children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition, he said.
Regarding cancer, kidney failure and thalassemia patients, Buhaibeh said declining funding could gradually lead to interruptions in treatment sessions, medicines and medical tests. Out-of-pocket spending by Yemenis accounts for more than half of total healthcare expenditure in the country.
He also noted that health data collection from areas controlled by the Houthis has been suspended for nearly a year, preventing a complete nationwide epidemiological picture. Meanwhile, a health fund that the ministry hopes will help finance services is still being established, with regulations, organizational structures and management mechanisms yet to be finalized.
Buhaibeh identified three major threats in the coming period: the consequences of emergencies and displacement caused by escalating violence, the continued spread of epidemics and deterioration of essential services, and the erosion of the healthcare system’s ability to remain operational.
He stressed that the health sector’s ability to continue operating after years of war and crises does not mean its resilience is unlimited, calling for the remaining services to be protected and for more sustainable funding for health facilities and programs.
The warning comes as Yemen’s displacement crisis worsens following a recent escalation in fighting between government forces and the Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah.
The International Organization for Migration said more than 134,000 people had been displaced since the latest escalation in fighting, most of them between August 1 and September 22, 2026.
Source: AFP
