Sana'a: A press conference was held today at Al-Thawra General Hospital in Sana'a to discuss the catastrophic effects and repercussions of the 12-year Saudi-led aggression and blockade on kidney failure patients.
According to Yemen News Agency, Minister of Health and Environment, Dr. Ali Shaiban, affirmed that the Saudi-American aggression and blockade have decimated the health sector's infrastructure, leading to the spread of diseases and epidemics and depriving millions of citizens of basic healthcare. He addressed the repercussions of the Saudi blockade on kidney failure patients, explaining that several hospitals may lose dialysis services in the coming period due to the lack of access to dialysis equipment and solutions.
He reiterated that dialysis machines and related supplies are subject to lengthy shipping and inspection procedures that delay their arrival in the country, threatening the lives of thousands of patients who rely on regular dialysis sessions. He explained that dialysis centers require hundreds of tons of medical supplies, while humanitarian flights can only transport limited quantities of 200-300 kilograms per shipment, a mere fraction of the need. This threatens the continued operation of many health facilities.
The Minister of Health stated that most shipments of medicines and medical supplies undergo lengthy and complex procedures in Djibouti, resulting in delays of three to four months. Often, shipments arrive near their expiration date or damaged due to transportation and storage conditions.
He added that several sensitive medications require specialized transport methods and low temperatures, which are difficult to obtain while airports are closed. The limited humanitarian flights can only transport a few hundred kilograms, quantities insufficient to meet the needs of hospitals and medical centers. For his part, Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Nasser Al-Qoud reviewed the economic and living conditions faced by patients in general, and kidney dialysis patients in particular, as a result of the Saudi economic blockade. He emphasized that the continued decline in health services not only affects patients but also extends to the economy and society. The deterioration of citizens' health leads to decreased productivity and increased economic burdens on families, amidst complex humanitarian and living conditions.
He stressed that depriving Yemen of its economic resources due to the Saudi aggression and blockade has prevented the state from fulfilling its obligations to the people and providing basic services, negatively impacting patients and reducing the provision of services to alleviate their suffering.
A statement issued by the conference, read by the Ministry's spokesperson, Dr. Anis Al-Asbahi, explained that the ongoing blockade has cast a shadow over kidney failure patients, who have lost one of their fundamental health rights. They are not receiving their scheduled weekly dialysis sessions, which are guaranteed to them under international law, thus endangering their lives and causing some to die. He pointed out that the aggressor states directly bombed the kidney dialysis centers in Haradh District, Hajjah Governorate, and the Yemen International Kidney Dialysis Center in Salah District, Taiz Governorate, destroying them and rendering them inoperable. This forced the patients who had been receiving treatment at these centers to seek care at the nearest dialysis centers, further straining the already overburdened facilities, which are themselves suffering from a severe shortage of dialysis supplies and materials due to the blockade.
He added that the closure of these two centers has caused additional hardship for patients, who now bear the costs of travel, accommodation, and food.
He noted that Al-Thawra General Hospital in the capital receives 170 to 220 patients daily from various governorates across the country. He also reported that the hospital recorded 295 deaths of kidney failure patients in 2025 and 160 deaths between January and July 2026. The statement confirmed a severe shortage of dialysis supplies, with actual needs reaching 700,000 dialysis sessions annually and hundreds of tons of supplies required monthly. The cost per session ranges from $30 to $40, not to mention the accompanying medications and tests. The statement explained that air shipments carry only limited quantities, 200-300 kg, meaning that what is provided covers only a small fraction of the urgent needs.
It noted that doctors are often forced to reduce the number of dialysis sessions from three per week (each lasting four hours) to just two, or to shorten the session duration from five to three hours. This leads to the accumulation of toxins and fluids in patients' bodies, causing serious respiratory and cardiac complications, and potentially resulting in death. According to the statement, the expenses of treating one patient exceed seven thousand and 250 dollars per year, which increases the worries of patients and their families in light of the deteriorating living conditions. It explained that patients need chronic medicines such as heparin, erythropoietin, calcium gluconate and others, which are only available in small quantities that do not meet the purpose.
The statement indicated that international organizations, including the World Health Organization, have ceased regularly supplying essential medicines and solutions for years. It noted that the WHO had previously contributed to providing up to 110,340 dialysis sessions for more than 4,300 patients between September 2019 and May 2020.
The statement also highlighted the continued ban on the entry of supplies for maintaining hemodialysis machines. These machines, which have been in operation at government centers for over 15 years, have exceeded their lifespan, and more than 498 are in need of maintenance. Meanwhile, nearly half of the health facilities across various governorates have ceased operations, either partially or completely.
He stated that the shortage of dialysis centers and the lack of funding have led to the deaths of 5,000 patients in recent years due to a lack of dialysis solutions and equipment. He pointed out that patients are forced to travel up to 250 kilometers weekly to reach dialysis centers, passing through checkpoints and unsafe roads. Some patients walk for hours, while others leave their families behind and migrate to major cities in search of treatment. Displaced people are forced to receive dialysis sessions at night using outdated equipment due to severe overcrowding at the centers.
According to the statement, more than 83 pharmaceutical companies have withdrawn from the market, and more than 90% of patients are unable to travel abroad for treatment. From 2021 to 2025, 582 cases deemed untreatable within the country were registered for travel abroad through the Higher Medical Committee.
There are more than 1,500 cases in urgent need of kidney transplants, and more than 8,000 cases dependent on regular dialysis. The Ministry of Health reported that it has been appealing to the United Nations and health organizations operating in Yemen since 2022 to provide sufficient medication for dialysis sessions, but has received no response. It has also held numerous conferences and warned of a humanitarian catastrophe threatening the lives of thousands of kidney dialysis patients across various governorates.
The Ministry warned that the continued shortage of medical supplies, medications, and equipment will increase mortality rates and transform the suffering of these patients and their families into a major humanitarian tragedy. It called upon the international community, humanitarian organizations, and donors to intervene immediately and save the lives of thousands of patients before it is too late.
The Ministry emphasized that the right to life, health, food, and medicine is an absolute human right that cannot be violated under any political or military pretext. It stressed that lifting the blockade and allowing the entry of humanitarian aid is a collective legal, moral, and humanitarian responsibility incumbent upon the entire international community and humanitarian organizations.
The Ministry urged the United Nations and its agencies not to turn a blind eye to this catastrophic tragedy, which has already claimed the lives of thousands of patients and continues to claim thousands more. The Ministry held the Saudi enemy responsible for the catastrophic humanitarian and health repercussions of its aggression and suffocating blockade against the Yemeni people, amidst a shameful international and UN silence.
It demanded the reopening of Sana'a International Airport to all humanitarian and commercial flights on a continuous basis, to multiple destinations, and by multiple airlines. It also demanded the lifting of the naval blockade and arbitrary measures, and ensuring the flow of medicines, medical supplies, tissue matching solutions for kidney transplants, and spare parts for diagnostic equipment.
The Ministry of Health also called for facilitating patients' access to treatment and healthcare without obstacles, and upholding patients' right to life and treatment.