Published on 17 June 2013 by Rammah Al-Jubari in Health & Environment
The dialysis center at the state-run Al-Thawra hospital is overcrowded, underfunded and overused. Their 28 dialysis machines operate around the clock as patients continue to swarm the center.
Published on 2 May 2013 by Ryam Al-Qadi in Health & Environment
At the Al-Jumhori Hospital in Al-Mahweet governorate, hospital staff are making do. They are responsible for serving the governorate’s population, estimated at half a million, but they are doing so either without basic medical equipment or outdated devices and a lack of qualified staff.
Rainwater harvesting in Sana’a faces challengesPublished on 29 April 2013 by Ramzy Alawi in Health & Environment
Hana Al-Zabidi has a hard time recalling exactly what happened on the day when her home flooded. She lives in a small-three room house made out of cement blocks on the outskirts of Sana’a.
Published on 15 April 2013 by Amira Nasser in Health & Environment
Um Helal is in her 30s and is the mother of six children. Her oldest child is 15 and her youngest five. Following her last pregnancy, Um Helal’s health began to take a turn for the worse. She felt dizzy and weak all the time. It was only then that she says she was able to convince her husband that they should not have any more children and explore birth control options.
Young, thin mothers: Yemeni breast cancer victims defy conventional risk factorsPublished on 8 April 2013 by Najla’a Hasan in Health & Environment
On a Sunday, sitting in the waiting room of the National Oncology Center, a government cancer treatment facility, around 50 female patients were waiting for the results of their breast cancer screenings. The majority appear to be under 30 and holding their young children, most of whom are one to three-years-old.
Awareness campaigns insufficient to address Yemen’s water problemPublished on 28 March 2013 by Najlaa Hasan in Health & Environment
In Sana’a, activities for this past United Nations World Water Day lasted for around a day—including rotating TV and radio statements from influential and famous Yemenis, a bicycle marathon and public speeches from the Ministry of Environment. But what happens after this flurry of activity? Not enough, experts say. Yemen remains a parched, thirsty country, in the midst of a water crisis.
Published on 21 March 2013 by Amira Nasser in Health & Environment
One day in 17-year-old Amani Mosed’s high school class, her teacher presented a lesson about hereditary illnesses. These genetic ailments, such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia, are found in Yemen where their prevalence is related to the custom of marriage within families and between cousins.
Medical centers, underfunded and few, struggle to treat genetic blood diseasesPublished on 7 March 2013 by Amira Nasser in Health & Environment
At a Sana’a medical center, six-year-old Ibrahim Mohammed groans in pain after receiving an injection in his arm. He is just one of over 1,000 children who suffer from thalassemia, a very dangerous genetic blood diseases, according to doctors. Medical centers are underfunded and scare in Yemen, and it’s causing doctors to misdiagnosis the potentially fatal disease, especially in rural areas.
Osteopathy flourishes despite medical warningsPublished on 25 February 2013 by Amira Nasser in Health & Environment
A year ago, Amel Al-Zaitri seriously injured her right shoulder after tripping and falling. She was hospitalized with a separated shoulder and doctors recommended an operation for the injury. But Al-Zaitri, skeptical of going under the knife, opted for a natural route and instead went to see her closest osteopathy clinic.
Using an atmospheric gas to cure illnessPublished on 7 February 2013 by Samar Qaed in Health & Environment
For two years, patients have trickled into Dr. Ahmed Al-Kamal's office seeking an alternative form of medicine. In addition to his salt caves that offer respiratory relief, his medical clinic, My Life is Better, also promises patients rapid and non-chemical treatment for ailments like joint pains through a controversial healing method known as ozone therapy.
