Health in Yemen

The formal health system in Yemen is divided in practice between different authorities and service networks. In the south, the Ministry of Public Health and Population and its governorate and district health offices are responsible for public health administration. In the north, the Ministry of Health and Environment performs the corresponding functions. Private and charitable providers operate alongside public facilities, while the WHO-led Health Cluster coordinates humanitarian support without replacing government services. The private sector provides more than 60% of health services according to WHO reporting, but regulation and quality control are uneven. Care is commonly organized from community services and health units to health centers, district hospitals, inter-district hospitals and referral hospitals. Community Health Workers, Community Health and Nutrition Volunteers and Community Midwives may provide household visits, health advice, basic screening, pregnancy-related guidance, immunization information and referrals. Mobile teams serve some hard-to-reach areas. When a nearby facility does not function or cannot be reached, community or mobile services may provide the practical first contact, but availability should be checked locally before travel because no reliable nationwide appointment or facility-finder standard is established. Primary care facilities may offer outpatient assessment, pregnancy tests, basic diagnostics, disease surveillance, treatment for common conditions and health records. HeRAMS reported 5,503 health service delivery units, with 5,175 at least partially functional as of 31 August 2025. Partial functionality does not confirm that a facility has full staff, medicines, equipment, opening hours or safe-quality services. Treatment may also be available through private clinics, pharmacies, district hospitals and referral hospitals. Shortages of medicines, trained staff, electricity, water, equipment and financing frequently affect care. Routine prevention includes vaccination through fixed sites, outreach and campaigns, including protection against polio, measles, diphtheria and tetanus. Health workers also support hygiene, nutrition and outbreak surveillance. Child nutrition services use Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition, including outpatient therapeutic programmes, therapeutic feeding centers, diarrhoea treatment centers and oral rehydration corners. In 2025, UNICEF-supported services screened 4.9 million children under five, treated 294,464 children for severe acute malnutrition and provided inpatient treatment to 10,045 children, although access remains affected by field and funding gaps. Maternal and newborn care may include antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, postnatal care, basic or comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care, and referral from a midwife to a health center or hospital. UNFPA supported 72 facilities in 2025, including 12 providing comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care and 60 providing basic emergency obstetric and newborn care or neonatal services. Only about one fifth of functioning facilities had maternal and child health services in the cited assessment, so the availability of a safe delivery site must be confirmed before travel. For an emergency, recognize danger signs, contact the nearest reachable community or health service, and seek a functioning district, inter-district or referral hospital. Trauma surgery, blood, oxygen, ambulances and monitored referrals exist through some WHO and partner-supported services, but formal triage, pre-hospital basic emergency care and ambulance access are not available nationwide. Conflict, attacks, mines and unexploded ordnance, epidemics, flooding, damaged roads, checkpoints, fuel shortages, power cuts and supply interruptions can delay transport and referral. Women and girls may face additional movement restrictions in some areas, including requirements linked to a male guardian in certain northern partner operations. Psychosocial first aid, basic mental health care, noncommunicable disease follow-up, disability services and rehabilitation are available in some locations but remain fragmented. Specialist psychiatric care is scarce; UNFPA reported five specialized mental health and psychosocial support centers in 2025. Trauma and mine injuries increase the need for rehabilitation. Follow-up may occur through community visits, primary care, outpatient nutrition services, chronic disease referrals or rehabilitation providers, but Yemen has no nationwide guarantee of continuous care after discharge or referral. People generally do not need nationwide enrollment in a health insurance or gatekeeping system to seek care, but practical access depends on the authority, programme, provider, security situation and local partner network. Children, pregnant women, internally displaced people, rural and hard-to-reach households and people facing acute danger are common priority groups in supported programmes. Some vaccination, nutrition and partner-supported primary care services are free, but this is not universal. Private consultations, medicines, diagnostic tests and transport are commonly paid by the household, and both direct and indirect costs can prevent treatment. Yemen's public health framework recognizes emergency priority, clear information, consent or refusal, dignity, privacy, cultural and religious respect, complaint mechanisms and medical confidentiality subject to legal exceptions. Providers and facilities have duties concerning licensing, professional standards, consent, documentation, emergency assistance and referral when their skills or resources are insufficient. Enforcement and patient protection vary in practice. Routine opening hours, waiting times and referral duration depend on staff, supplies, security, distance and transport, so local confirmation remains necessary.