UN says 13,000 pregnant women lack care in Yemen’s Taiz
Fighting and blocked aid routes are cutting pregnant women off from essential care.
Wednesday 4 November · 15:54 · 1 min read
In 30 seconds
- UNFPA says more than 13,000 pregnant women around Taiz cannot access essential health care. [1, 2] [1][2]
- Fighting and restrictions have nearly isolated Taiz for about a month, obstructing aid deliveries and civilian travel. [1, 2] [1][2]
- Only five of 27 facilities designated for emergency maternal and newborn care in and around the city were partly operating, UNFPA said. [1] [1]
What happened
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warned that fighting and restrictions on humanitarian access have left more than 13,000 pregnant women around Taiz without essential health care. The city has been almost cut off for about a month, preventing aid from entering and civilians from leaving. UNFPA said key supply routes, including the Taiz-Aden route, have been blocked, worsening shortages of water, food and fuel.
Why it matters
Women in the area may struggle to get care during pregnancy and childbirth. UNFPA says only five of 27 designated emergency maternal and newborn health facilities are partly operating.
Background
UNFPA representative Francesco Galtieri said Yemen already had the Arab region’s highest maternal mortality rate before fighting resumed in the summer, with about three women dying each day from childbirth complications. The UN says Taiz shelters about half of 300,000 people recently displaced by fighting across Yemen.
Key terms
- Maternal mortality
- Deaths of women caused by pregnancy or childbirth complications.
- Humanitarian access
- The ability of aid workers and supplies to reach people in need.
Sources (2)
[1] Kampuchea Thmey UNFPA៖ ស្ត្រីមានផ្ទៃពោះជាង ១៣ ពាន់នាក់ប្រឈមការរលូតកូន នៅប្រទេសយេម៉ែន 4 Nov Read original [2] DAP News ទីភ្នាក់ងារ UN បញ្ជាក់ថា ស្ត្រីមានផ្ទៃពោះរាប់ពាន់នាក់ កំពុងប្រឈមហានិភ័យ ក្នុងទីក្រុង Taiz នៃប្រទេសយេម៉ែន 4 Nov Read originalWas this explainer clear?
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