Renewed fighting between Iran-backed Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces has overwhelmed hospitals as over 130,000 have fled their homes. Some facilities are turning away pregnant women to prioritize the wounded amid shortages of supplies and health workers.
The U.N. said most affected hospitals and primary health centers closed for the first 48 hours of the escalation before resuming services. The WHO says fewer than 10% of affected health centers are fully equipped for trauma care. In Taiz, cut supply routes have left medicines and fuel scarce. The U.N. Population Fund said about 2,000 pregnant women were on the move, with more than 200 expected to deliver in the next week or so. Some hospitals near the fighting have converted maternity wards into emergency rooms.
After the Houthis captured Mokha, hospitals across Taiz had received about 635 casualties, including 112 bodies, as of Thursday, according to provincial health official Fahd al-Nazari; the total included civilians and combatants. Three of the province’s 17 hospitals were no longer under government control. The ICRC said it delivered 22 tons of medical supplies to overwhelmed hospitals in Sanaa.
