Structure of the Healthcare

The Ministry of Public Health & Population (MOPHP) is in charge of overseeing healthcare for the population. MOPHP offers preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic, and rehabilitative health services. Health services in Yemen are provided through the following:

• The Public Sector – health services are offered through facilities from MOPHP, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, and Aden Refineries.

• Private Health Sector – health services are mostly situated in the capital secretariat and capitals of governorates.

• Charitable Health Sector – health services facilitated by the local and international NGOs which offer remedial services.

Healthcare services are offered by the Public Health Sector through MOPHP in a number of levels including:

• Primary Healthcare includes a basic package of health services offered at the first level through primary health care units and centers. 

• Secondary Healthcare services are facilitated by the districts’ and governorates’ hospitals.

• Tertiary Healthcare services are offered through referral hospitals, which are in charge of handling complicated cases that cannot be treated at lower-level hospitals.

• Specialized Healthcare services are provided in institutions such as Cancer Centers, Cardiac Centers, Blood Bank, Kidney Centers, and Rehabilitation Centers. These hospitals are found in Sana’a and Aden.

Financing Healthcare

Public Sector Healthcare services in Yemen are financed by the government budget. When patients seek private healthcare, out-of-pocket payments are used to finance services. Foreign assistance from local and international organizations have also been involved in financing and facilitating healthcare services for the population in Yemen.

Over the years, Yemen has emerged as a weakened state due to the humanitarian crisis and war that has lasted five years. The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak further weakened the already overwhelming health crisis in Yemen; as it has left most medical facilities closed and forced the population to choose between putting food on the table or securing medicine.

Investment Opportunities

Since the escalation of the conflict in 2015, over a million people have been displaced and many of the younger generations have been traumatized by events. The crisis has left only half of Yemen’s healthcare facilities operational; of which, only a few offer important services including maternal care, child healthcare services, and mental health services. 

As a result of this crisis, local and international organizations such as The United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), Yemen Hope and Relief, Oxfam, Médecins Sans Frontières’ International (Doctors Without Borders), and International Rescue Committee (IRC) have stepped up in an effort to aid the population.

Start Ups & Technology

In Yemen, there are organizations dedicated into fostering and nurturing the startups in the area through competitions, incubation programs and training bootcamps and seminars. These organizations which some are not-for-profit include:

• United Nations Development Program (UNDP)

• Small Micro Enterprise Promotion Service (SMEPS)

• ROWAD Entrepreneur Foundation

Technologies and innovations employed by these companies include but are not limited to:

• Telehealth

• E-Pharmacy

• Artificial Intelligence

• Digital Health

• Health Information Systems

Challenges

The healthcare system faces a number of challenges including:

• The ongoing conflict has led to a humanitarian crisis that has left a large part of the population in need of basic and emergency health services.

• Insecurity brought about by war has made healthcare workers go long periods without salary payments and many have ultimately decided to flee the country.

• The growing number of displaced people has made it difficult to provide the population with the relevant healthcare services that they desperately need.

• There is limited access to lifesaving medicines and supplies due to blockades and logistical challenges.

• Most young people struggle with mental health due to growing up in a warzone and the trauma that comes with that experience.

Solutions

• Advocate for peace and diplomatic missions in an effort to stop the ongoing conflict.

• Organize funds and resources to build a resilient healthcare system that will enable every individual to have access to services at little to no cost at all.

• Rally for more assistance and help from different stakeholders; especially international communities and charitable organizations to support the healthcare sector in Yemen.

  Establish a strong commitment of funds and efforts toward mental health education; particularly for the children who have had to grow up in the warzone, to equip them with skills and knowledge on how to deal with the trauma.