APUA 4/2020

H AVING GONE on for five years, the conflict has collapsed more than half of Yemen’s health services. Eighty per cent of the country’s population, i.e. 24 million people, need humanitarian aid. In September, the International Red Cross and the Finnish and Norwegian Red Crosses opened a treatment centre in the city of Aden, focusing on the treatment of mild to moderate cases of the coronavirus. Severely ill people are referred for further treatment. ‘People need access to treatment if they become ill. Many Yemenis have no knowl­ edge of the coronavirus or how to protect themselves from it, and there are many misconceptions about the disease. Many seek treatment too late, so the information work of volunteers in the communities is really important,’ says Tiina Saarikoski , Director, International Operations and Programmes. The treatment centre employs Red Cross aid workers specialising in healthcare and technical support, mainly from Finland and Norway, as well as more than a hundred local workers. From the logistics centre of the Finnish Red Cross in Tampere, almost 38 tonnes of aid materials, such as equipment needed for patient care and research, were delivered to the 60-bed treatment centre. AID AROUND THE COUNTRY ‘We have a shortage of everything: food, shelter and toilets. Sometimes we queue for a long time at a pharmacy just to hear that they don’t have the medicine we need,’ says Saéeda Abdullah Salem , 60. She is one of the millions of Yemenis who have fled the conflict within the country. The Red Cross supports hospitals, health centres and rehabilitation centres in Yemen and supplies healthcare professionals with protective equipment. Furthermore, the Red Cross improves access to clean water and toilets, distributes food, household items, cash grants and seeds and provides protection in the midst of conflict. Last year, over six million Yemenis received help from the Red Cross. The Finnish Red Cross supports the International Red Cross’s aid operation in Yemen with funds and by sending aid workers and supplies to the coronavirus treatment centre. The work is supported by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and donors. ● HAROON MOHAMMED YEMEN IN THE MIDST OF A CRISIS The coronavirus is exacerbating the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Brief in English 10