In response to the increase in the number of Covid-19 in Yemen, a UNICEF chartered plane arrived at Sana’a airport on Saturday, May 30, with life-saving pieces of equipment to help prevent the spread of the disease in the conflict-ridden country.
Supplies are a range of medical assistance including personal protective equipment (PPE) items such as aprons, boots, face masks and gloves for health care.
“These supplies will allow our courageous partners the health workers, who are working around the clock, to safely and more effectively address the spread of COVID-19,” said Sara Beysolow Nyanti, UNICEF Representative in Yemen. “Despite the uncertainty that the pandemic has brought, UNICEF is staying and delivering to reach children and families in need across the country. A robust and sustainable supply chain will allow us to continue doing our share.”
The COVID-19 outbreak has created an emergency within an urgency in Yemen where only half of the health facilities are operative and with almost every child in Yemen (over 12 million in total) already in need of humanitarian assistance, including nearly half a million suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
Personal protective equipment items will help provide safe primary health care and nutrition services for at least 1,600 health workers in Yemen’s primary health centers, hospitals and isolated units for three months.
More supplies, including the COVID-19 testing kit, are in the pipeline to arrive in the country in the coming weeks. These life-saving supplies were provided with the generous support of the Government of Australia and the International Development Association-World Bank.
