Hanan Hussein – Women in Development and Peace
The ongoing conflicts in Yemen have caused devastating effects on women and girls; their daily lives are filled with challenges ranging from security risks to a severe lack of essential services. As a result of this humanitarian deterioration, their need for healthcare, particularly reproductive healthcare, and psychosocial support has massively increased.
Reproductive health is a state of complete well-being that enables women and men to have healthy children, determine the number of children, and the spacing between them. Reproductive health also includes reproductive organ health, a woman’s ability to safely conceive and give birth, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, and protection from gender-based violence.
According to Dr. Nabeela Ismail, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology: “Reproductive health includes a comprehensive series of healthcare services, including pre-pregnancy care through providing examinations and health advice to women and men planning to have children, to ensure the future parents’ health. This is followed by antenatal care through conducting periodic examinations to ensure the health of the mother and fetus and treating any health problems that appear during pregnancy. Postnatal care is through supporting new mothers to ensure their recovery, providing advice on breastfeeding and nutrition, medical interventions if necessary, and caring for newborns.”
She adds: “Family planning is also part of reproductive health’s tasks, including providing suitable contraceptives and providing advice to help couples choose the method that suits their needs and family goals. We must not forget the importance of sex education, by teaching people about sexual health, healthy sexual relationships, and preventing sexually transmitted diseases.”
Target Groups
Reproductive health programs in Yemen focus primarily on supporting women during the stages of marriage, pregnancy, and childbirth. They also target couples through campaigns that provide specialized consultations and guidance on family planning to ensure comprehensive and sustainable family health.
Dr. Nabeela says: “Reproductive health programs in Yemen include all individuals who are affected by or affect it; the target groups include women of reproductive age, from adolescence to menopause, and men of reproductive age from youth to adults participating in reproductive decision-making. The programs also focus on young people of both genders who need education and awareness about sexual and reproductive health, couples planning to form a family and needing family planning consultations, and pregnant and breastfeeding women who need continuous healthcare to ensure their well-being and the safety of their children.”
Statistics
According to UNFPA reports, about 5.5 million Yemeni women and girls of reproductive age need access to reproductive healthcare services.
The Yemeni Association for Reproductive Health reported in 2019 that 520,000 pregnant women suffered from health problems, 78,000 faced a direct threat to their lives without healthcare, and there were 400 maternal deaths per 100,000 births.
UNFPA announced a $2.4 million contribution from the Japanese government to improve reproductive health services and protect women and girls in Yemen. This funding is expected to benefit over 120,000 vulnerable women and girls in the conflict-torn country.
The Impact of Reproductive Health on Women
Dr. Nabeela stated that reproductive health affects many aspects; it improves overall health, and provides appropriate care before, during, and after pregnancy, reducing mortality and morbidity rates among women and children. It also strengthens women’s rights and empowers them to make informed decisions about their reproductive health, improving their quality of life.
She explained that education and work are crucial; educated and healthy women have better educational and employment opportunities, enhancing their economic and social standing. This results in family stability supported by good reproductive health, leading to stable and healthy families, and strengthening societal stability as a whole.
The Healthcare System
Dr. Nabeela pointed out that Yemen’s healthcare system is diverse, including various health institutions, government programs, and private organizations providing reproductive health services.
She explained that while hospitals and health centers offering these services exist, they are often limited and unavailable in all areas, especially rural ones. The Ministry of Public Health and Population, in collaboration with international organizations, works to improve reproductive health services through dedicated programs. Many local and international NGOs also contribute services and awareness in this field.
The challenges faced by Salwa Muhammad (25) during her first pregnancy were significant. Unaware of the importance of seeking care at a specialized health center, she married at 18, lacking information from her family or community about the importance of healthcare, especially living in a remote village lacking adequate health centers or services.
She adds, “I have four children now, but I didn’t suffer as much as I did during my first pregnancy because I moved with my husband to an area near the city. This helped me follow my pregnancies and receive the necessary care from a specialized center, leading to continuous healthcare for me and my children.”
Challenges of Pregnancy and Childbirth
Yemeni women face a ton of challenges during pregnancy and childbirth, and customs and traditions play a huge role. Some beliefs and traditions restrict women, preventing them from seeking necessary healthcare or participating in health awareness programs. There’s also a lack of awareness about the importance of healthcare during pregnancy.
Um Ali, who lives in a village, talked about this: “My husband refuses to let me go to any doctor because he thinks it’s shameful for me to be treated by a man. This forces us to wait for the village doctor to return from her leave before I can get prenatal care. I don’t mind, except if I have sudden contractions. Then I have to resort to traditional medicine and my mom and grandma’s advice to get through it – it usually just needed a mild sedative.”
Dr. Nabeela added that other challenges Yemeni women face include social issues like domestic violence or lack of support from their partners or families. This increases women’s psychological stress, impacting their reproductive health. She also noted that extreme poverty, armed conflicts, and ongoing fighting make it even harder to get the necessary healthcare.
Dr. Hakeema Abdullah, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, said, “There are challenges affecting women’s health during pregnancy and childbirth, including malnutrition, anemia, and deficiencies in essential nutrients like iron and folic acid. This negatively impacts both the mother and the fetus. Anxiety and stress also negatively affect a woman’s mental and physical health and her pregnancy. Lack of exercise can lead to weight gain and other health problems during pregnancy, such as chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure.”
She continued, “Lack of access to good healthcare services can affect pregnancy and childbirth monitoring. Smoking is another challenge for mothers; this habit increases complications during pregnancy. Financial problems affect the ability to get proper healthcare and nutrition for pregnant women. Women need support and care to overcome these challenges and improve their health and the health of their children.”
Proposed Solutions
Experts suggest widespread awareness campaigns about the importance of reproductive health. This includes media campaigns on TV and radio, using social media to increase awareness, integrating reproductive health topics into school curricula, organizing workshops and training for local communities on reproductive health, and engaging local and religious figures to promote reproductive health.
Dr. Nabeela offered several solutions: “We need to improve healthcare infrastructure by building more health centers, equipping them, and providing them with trained medical staff and necessary equipment. This is a challenge under these circumstances.”
She continued, “We need to provide family planning methods, train doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers to effectively provide reproductive health services, and strengthen cooperation with international and local organizations to support and fund maternal and child health programs, ensuring the sustainability of these efforts for the benefit of the community as a whole.”
Dr. Nabeela concluded by emphasizing the need to reach conflict zones and improve access to healthcare for women in conflict-affected areas through mobile teams or temporary health centers to ensure the safety of mothers and newborns.
Dr. Hakeema added, “We need community initiatives and forums to raise awareness about the importance of reproductive health, workshops in schools and health centers to educate young people about the basics of reproductive health, and to educate men about their responsibilities and role in women’s healthcare, inviting them to participate in discussions. We need health days offering free health checkups and reproductive health awareness and developing apps or websites that provide information and resources on reproductive health, encouraging the sharing of knowledge and experiences among mothers.”