he International Organization for Migration (IOM) is opening the first health center in Yemen's largest displacement camp. The organization said in a statement published on March 10 that the center opened on March 8 in the Al Jufainah camp and is expected to treat about 100 patients a day.

The UN agency for migration IOM has announced in a statement that it opened the first health center in Al Jufainah, the largest displacement camp in Yemen situated near the city of Marib, on March 8.

IOM said the facility is ''filling a critical service gap''. 

Five years of fighting have taken their toll on Yemen's health infrastructure, which is operating at half the capacity it had prior to the conflict, the organization said in the statement.

'Overcrowded camp, poor living conditions' 

"The camp is overcrowded and the living conditions are poor; this means that disease can easily spread," Dr Samar Al-Qadi, a doctor working in the new health center, was quoted as saying by IOM. 

"We are now better able to combat infectious diseases and provide support to people with chronic illnesses in this camp," Al-Qadi said.

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 UN agency explained. 

The health center is staffed by a team of experienced health professionals. 

Besides the doctors and nurses, the Al Jufainah center's staff includes a midwife, pharmacist, lab technician and nutrition and vaccination assistants. 

A health center and four mobile clinics 

IOM also operates two mobile health clinics in the large Al Jufainah camp reaching those unable to travel to the new facility. In addition, there are two 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 a day while the new health facility is expected to visit about 100 patients daily, IOM said. 

The UN agency stressed that 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."