Yemen is witnessing a wide spread of smuggled medicines that violate manufacturing standards and are ineffective, in addition to expired medicines, which cause health damage and exacerbate the condition of patients and even the death of some of them. Who is responsible for this and how can this phenomenon be confronted?

After the birth of Ahmed, the first of the male births, was the joy that delighted the family of Yemeni Abdullah Al-Masajdi, the family did not think that a fatal drug or wrong medical practices in a hospital in the capital, Sana’a, would bring him back dead and scattered to his final resting place, only two years and eight months after his birth .

But Ahmed's story is just one of the things that gained access to the media, while not a few Yemenis are victims of unlicensed or expired medicines and counterfeit items circulating in the market.

Ahmed’s family, which received the news of his death weeks ago, was one of 19 Yemeni families, whose children who were lying or attending the Leukemia Pediatric Center at Kuwait Hospital in the capital, Sana’a, developed complications, after a contaminated drug dose, according to official accounts, as ten of them died and others were transferred. to intensive care, but some of them also died despite attempts to rescue.

Victims of the Pediatric Leukemia Treatment Center

The case, which took a wide space in the circles of Yemeni public opinion since the beginning of October, was known as the children who had blood diseases and who were being treated at the Leukemia Treatment Center. However, the information obtained by DW Arabia indicates that the case was not only related to oncological patients, as Al-Masajidi, the child registered in the death list in the same hospital, was not a leukemia patient.

According to sources in the family of Ahmed, who died at the age of two years and eight months, I spoke to DW Arabic, he and six other victims were in the nutrition department (not leukemia), and they died suddenly after they showed symptoms of convulsions, headaches and fainting, "Knowing that all the deceased were in the department of Feeders are the ones who used to frequent the leukemia department in order to make butterflies and beat needles." According to the source.

The version of the Yemeni Ministry of Health in Sana’a stated that the deaths were due to “a drug that was smuggled to a private pharmacy without being subject to the procedures of the Supreme Committee for Medicines, injected with it into children with blood tumors.” The same ministry indicated in a later statement that "29 cases received a dose of smuggled medicine, 10 of whom did not experience complications, while 19 cases experienced complications, of which 10 children died and one case is in care." The ministry also talked about complications of two cases who took the same drug in Hadramout, east of the country.

While the case was referred to the Public Prosecutor for investigation, official statements issued by the Ministry of Health in the government affiliated with the Ansar Allah group ( Houthis ), and hospital officials confirmed that the tests conducted for samples “used for patients from medicines purchased from a pharmacy”, proved that “ The batch was contaminated with deadly bacteria" and led to "severe meningitis in children".

Investigation and negative messages about pharmacy

Speaking to DW Arabic, the head of the Syndicate of Pharmacies Owners in Yemen, Dr. Muhammad Al-Nazili, says that the causes of deaths in the hospital may be multiple, and we are awaiting the results of the investigation, adding that “the real cause may be from inept practices related to sterilization, toxicity from drug administration, or germs.” As a result of poor sterilization, a specific drug interaction, a non-conforming and toxic substance in the drug, or a lack of industrial quality control, which leads to the bacteremia of the drug.”

Al-Nazili stresses the importance of the Ministry of Health working to increase the quality of services for workers in the health sector in accordance with standard procedures that ensure the safety and efficacy of treatment, and not to release any statements “before the investigations of the Public Prosecution”, as “what happened sent negative messages about the pharmacy and drug sector.” In a way that "terrified citizens and made them lose their trust in pharmacists for no real reason. What happened may be due to medical procedures and has nothing to do with medication."

Regardless of whether the deaths of Kuwait Hospital in Sana’a were the result of medication or “drugs,” as expressed by the hospital director, Amin Al-Junaid, during a session held by the Shura Council in Sana’a, more than a week ago; However, government data agreed that it was smuggled. Which drew attention to the phenomenon of smuggling and counterfeiting of medicines.