Haneen Al-Wahsh – Women in Development and Peace
In a country repeatedly described by UN reports as the worst place in the world for a woman, the situation is worsening across the board. Reproductive healthcare is especially hard-hit by the near-total collapse of the health system due to years of ongoing conflict.
Women are disproportionately affected by this healthcare crisis, particularly regarding maternal and reproductive health. The lack of basic services, medicine, and equipment has led to a rise in newborn deaths. The need for comprehensive healthcare for mothers, pregnant women, and girls of reproductive age is desperate.
The reality of reproductive healthcare in Yemen paints a tragic picture. Years of conflict have devastated the health sector, and women are suffering immensely from the crumbling infrastructure, lack of medical staff, and shortage of essential medicines and equipment.
One of the most striking features of Yemen’s reproductive health crisis is the high maternal and child mortality rate. According to UN reports, Yemen has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the region. This is compounded by a lack of basic healthcare services, medical supplies, poor reproductive health in rural areas, and widespread malnutrition among pregnant women.
International Reports
A 2020 World Health Organization report stated that 3.75 million women and girls are of reproductive age, with 600,000 pregnant or about to become pregnant facing a high risk of death.
A recent UN report highlighted that roughly 18 million people in Yemen desperately need life-saving healthcare; 50% are children, and 24% are women needing access to various medical and reproductive healthcare services, including 4% of pregnant women requiring emergency obstetric care.
The report warned that insufficient funding this year could lead to the closure of 500 to 700 healthcare facilities due to shortages of essential supplies, medicine, and operational support. According to the report, almost 500,000 women in need would be denied access to vital reproductive healthcare services.
Most Affected Rural Areas
In a remote village in rural Taiz, Asma Ali (a pseudonym) is expecting. While excited, her joy is tinged with anxiety. “I’m happy to be done with the pregnancy and become a mother, but I’m terrified of the childbirth itself, especially if I had problems with a natural birth,” she says.
Asma’s fears are justified. Her village lacks even basic reproductive healthcare services. The nearest health center is a two-hour drive away, and even that center lacks basic services. During the first and last months of her pregnancy, Asma has to walk along rough roads to reach the main road where her husband’s friend’s car picks her up. The poor services have forced her to limit her visits to a specialist to only twice during the first eight months of her pregnancy, despite daily pain.
Dr. Samia Al-Kamali confirms that rural women and girls are the hardest hit by the decline in reproductive health services. She explains, “There’s only one health unit in the district where I work, and it’s less than a center. It’s supposed to serve over 150,000 people, but it lacks the most basic medical supplies, including essential medicines and reproductive health resources.”
She points out that her communication with colleagues in the city reveals that rural women are at a much higher risk of complications during childbirth and death. The situation in cities isn’t much better, except for some private healthcare alternatives.
Muna Farhan emphasizes that the high cost of reproductive healthcare in private facilities prevents most pregnant women from accessing essential services.
Muna, six months pregnant and living in a Yemeni city affected by the conflict, stresses the importance of continued support for public health facilities to help them provide basic reproductive healthcare for mothers and newborns.
Nutrition and Reproductive Health
Nutrition is a major factor directly impacting women’s reproductive health, especially in Yemen, where a severe food crisis stemming from conflict and economic collapse is widespread. According to UN reports, over half of Yemen’s population faces food insecurity, severely affecting pregnant and breastfeeding women and children.
Dr. Samia Al-Kamali believes Yemen’s malnutrition crisis has complex, interwoven causes. Over a decade of conflict and rapid economic decline has left many jobless. High inflation has slashed purchasing power, worsened by reduced food aid distribution.
She states that three out of five women of childbearing age visiting her clinic suffered from malnutrition, increasing the risk of miscarriage, premature birth, and severely malnourished babies—leading to long-term health complications.
Asia Ghalib, a pregnant woman at risk of malnutrition, explains that private clinic tests revealed severe anemia and a critical lack of essential vitamins. Her doctor prescribed a long list of vitamins. “When I showed the prescription to the pharmacist,” she recounts, “he said it would cost 50,000 riyals—about $30. I just turned around and went home without even looking at the pharmacist or talking to him.”
The high cost forced Asia to go without medication. Despite her condition, she struggles to get food for her children, saying, “Bread and tea are usually all we eat.”
Grim Conditions
Health experts say armed conflict is the biggest obstacle to improving reproductive health services. Thousands of Yemenis have been internally displaced, hindering women’s access to healthcare.
Researcher Mukhtar Jamil emphasizes that conflict has repeatedly disrupted supply chains, causing severe shortages of essential reproductive health medications, including contraceptives and prenatal and postnatal care.
He warns that one side of the conflict has suspended the use of family planning methods. He stresses that harassment of healthcare workers in maternal and child centers contributes to rising maternal and infant mortality.
Dr. Ilias Abdullah adds that inadequate funding for healthcare infrastructure and services, instability, low awareness of reproductive health among women, and the exodus of medical professionals are major challenges undermining reproductive health services.
Support and Awareness
Despite the immense challenges, experts believe there are opportunities for improvement through strengthened local and international efforts.
Doctors agree that increased international support is needed for reproductive healthcare services, the development of health facilities, the provision of medicines and supplies, and the expansion of services to remote villages.
They also stress the importance of educational programs targeting women, especially in rural areas, on reproductive health, particularly proper nutrition for pregnant women and newborns.