A hospital director in Yemen’s heavily-mined Shabwah province has described how landmines have hampered the healthcare sector.
Shabwah province has been a central frontline in the conflict between Houthi militias and pro-government forces and have been littered with landmines and other remnants of war.
Acting Director General of Bayhan Health Office and Director of Al-Dafaei General Hospital, Dr. Ahmed Qamilan, confirmed that the health sector was significantly harmed by the Houthi landmines during the militias’ control over the district.
These mines caused a total halt of work in the health facilities, Dr Qamilan said, adding that the mines stopped the arrival of medical teams to provide treatment – including ambulatory and preventive services to civilians in various areas of Bayhan, in addition to impeding civilians’ access to health facilities.
“We have poor capabilities in the hospital No.1 in the district as we cannot receive all critical cases due to
the lack of tools, equipment and specialised staff in this field,” the hospital director told Project Masam.
Dr. Qamilan pointed out that the Houthi militias planted mines on roads and in the vicinity of government service facilities, including health ones, which impeded the access of services, most notably health, electricity, and water.
He also explained that civilians were not capable of leaving their homes and villages because of the fear of the detonating landmines planted on the roads leading to the government facilities.
Bayhan General Hospital has received dozens of landmine casualties, most of whom were women and children, with many tragically dying as a result of their wounds. The injuries ranged between amputation and eye loss, Dr. Qamilan said.
The Bayhan health official also said that Al-Dafaei General Hospital had received a few Masam injured personnel and provided them with first aid in accordance with the capabilities available in the hospital.
Dr. Qamilan extented his gratitude to the landmine clearing project for the efforts the secure the lives of civilians in the area, and across Yemen.
“Masam’s engineering teams sacrifice their lives for others to live and that project is a light of hope for civilians, whether in Bayhan district or in various governorates, to get rid of these deadly threats planted in most of the Yemeni territory.”
“We wish safety for all its teams members, as they are the only ray of hope for all the people of Yemen.”
