Sana’a, 18 March 2016— The World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered an additional 11 tonnes of life-saving medicines and medical supplies to Taiz City, where people remain in serious need of humanitarian aid. This latest shipment includes trauma kits, interagency emergency health kits, diarrhoeal disease kits, and IV fluids. The supplies were received by Al-Thawra, Al-Jumhoori, Al-Rawdha, Al-Mudhaffar and Al-Ta’aon hospitals.

“These health supplies are vital for health facilities in Taiz City that are still functioning to continue offering much-needed basic medical care,” said Dr Ahmed Shadoul, WHO Representative in Yemen. WHO has also started providing 67,000 litres of safe water daily for Al-Thawra, Al-Jumhoori, Al-Mudhaffar and Al-Swaidi Hospitals and two dialysis centres in Taiz City.

Earlier this week, a boat carrying 103 tonnes of trauma kits, interagency emergency health kits, diarrheal diseases kits and anti-malaria medicine arrived in Aden port. The supplies will be distributed to health facilities in Abyan, Aden, Lahj, Al Dhalea, Shabwa, Hadramout, Marib and Al Jouf governorates, as well as Taiz City.

“WHO is working hard to advocate for increased and continued access to Taiz City and other areas. Health needs are increasing and the health system is unable to keep up due to critical shortages in medicines, medical supplies, staff and other resources. We need immediate access to all people in need to allow us to provide urgent health care – people in Yemen cannot wait any longer,” said Dr Shadoul.