Yemen continues to experience one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with almost total indifference on the part of the international community. In this torn country, more than 18 million Yemenis – over half the population – depend on humanitarian aid for their survival. The situation is particularly dramatic in certain regions, where the withdrawal of international NGOs for security reasons has left local populations destitute.
Lawdar hospital: a vital facility threatened with closure
It was against this backdrop that Mehad took over management of the Lawdar hospital at the beginning of July 2024, with the support of the Crisis and Support Centre of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. This establishment, located in the governorate of Abyan in the south of the country and the only health facility still operational in the region, was threatened with closure after the last international NGOs left, discouraged by the security instability in the area.
Our team’s first visit to Lawdar hospital
The takeover of Lawdar hospital reflects Mehad’s DNA: co-developing healthcare responses with local stakeholders. This approach places close collaboration with the teams on the ground at the heart of our action and enables us to provide responses tailored to the real needs and specific challenges of each situation together.
At the beginning of November, our teams visited the Lawdar hospital to meet local healthcare staff. The visit provided an opportunity to assess the progress of the project and identify training needs, which aim to equip healthcare staff to manage the main adult and paediatric life-saving emergencies, in the particular context of Lawdar hospital, which has to cope with limited medical resources and equipment.
This ongoing commitment, through our training and support programmes, is at the heart of our mission in Yemen. Training, supporting and empowering local healthcare workers remains our priority to meet the country’s immense health needs.
