Five years of fighting have taken their toll on Yemen’s health infrastructure, which today operates at half the capacity it had prior to the conflict so the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) opening on Sunday (08/03) of a health centre in the Al Jufainah Camp is filling a critical service gap.

“The camp is overcrowded and the living conditions are poor; this means that disease can easily spread,” explained Dr Samar Al-Qadi, a doctor working in the new health centre.

“We are now better able to combat infectious diseases and provide support to people with chronic illnesses in this camp.”

The medical facility's examination rooms, small laboratory, pharmacy and in-patient beds will help to meet the health needs of 5,000 displaced families in the country’s largest displacement camp. The health centre is staffed by a team of experienced health professionals. Besides the doctors and nurses, the Al Jufainah centre has a midwife, pharmacist, lab technician and nutrition and vaccination assistants on staff.

IOM also operates two mobile health clinics in the vast Al Jufainah camp reaching those unable to travel to the new centre. In addition, there are two other mobile clinics operating in nearby displacement sites. They also serve as ambulances when people need to be transferred to the IOM clinic or a hospital outside the camp.

The mobile health clinics treat an average of 160 people per day. The new health centre is expected to see 100 patients daily.

Marib city has hosted a large number of displaced people since the start of the conflict. In recent months, a growing number of people have sought safety in the city and surrounding areas where IOM has been dedicated to providing immediate humanitarian assistance.

The official opening of the health centre was attended by representatives of the Marib Governorate Health Office, the Executive Unit for Internally Displaced Persons, Al Jufainah Camp Leaders and IOM’s Marib team.

IOM’s health programming in Marib is supported by the Yemen Humanitarian Fund, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Kuwait.

In addition to health services, IOM provides the residents of Al Jufainah Camp with support in the areas of camp management, shelter and relief items and water and sanitation. This includes clean water trucking, upgrading communal infrastructures like electricity and access roads, flood risk mitigation measures, camp administrative centre construction and installation of community centres and child friendly spaces in close coordination with relevant stakeholders.