Sana'a: Over the course of 11 years of US-Saudi-UAE aggression and blockade, Yemen has witnessed an unprecedented deterioration across all aspects of life. The health sector has been among the hardest hit, as the aggression has claimed thousands of victims-children, women, and men-and caused widespread destruction of health infrastructure, resulting in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
According to Yemen News Agency, a report by the Ministry of Public Health and Environment indicates that the total number of dead and wounded who reached hospitals since the beginning of the aggression until March 26, 2026, reached 60,000, including 24,000 killed and 36,000 injured. Among them, 3,243 children were killed and 5,019 injured, while 3,250 women were killed and 3,436 injured. The report also noted that 66 medical and emergency personnel were killed after being directly targeted while performing their duties, significantly increasing disability rates in the country by 300 percent.
Since the de-escalation agreement on April 1, 2022, 1,097 civilians have been killed and 6,532 injured, including 920 children and 428 women. Border attacks have resulted in 972 Yemenis killed and 3,660 injured, along with 103 African migrants killed and 1,671 injured. The aggression has also targeted health facilities, destroying 670 facilities and ambulances, with 165 completely destroyed and 376 partially damaged.
More than 55 percent of health facilities are now out of service, while the remaining 45 percent operate at minimal capacity. Health infrastructure damage is estimated to cost $7 billion, and over 95 percent of foreign medical staff have left the country. The blockade has resulted in severe shortages of life-saving medicines, anesthesia, blood derivatives, cancer drugs, and other essential supplies.
The report highlighted that 1.4 million people have died due to the blockade, disease outbreaks, and malnutrition. Around 8,000 dialysis patients are struggling for survival due to medication shortages, with 5,000 deaths recorded among them. More than 90 percent of patients cannot travel for treatment due to economic conditions and restrictive procedures.
The humanitarian impact has been severe, with 2.3 million children under five suffering from acute malnutrition, including 500,000 severe cases. Disease outbreaks have spread widely due to the collapse of water and sanitation systems, leading to a major health disaster since 2017. Between 2016 and March 2024, over 22.7 million suspected epidemic cases were recorded, with more than 11,000 deaths.
The Ministry of Health has held the coalition responsible for the ongoing health catastrophe and called on the international community and the United Nations to ensure accountability under international law. The ministry stressed that lifting the blockade is a legal, moral, and humanitarian obligation for the international community, emphasizing that the rights to life, health, food, and medicine are fundamental human rights that must not be violated.