The Director General of the Public Health and Population Office in Marib Governorate, Dr. Ahmed Al-Abbadi, inaugurated a cholera and acute watery diarrhea treatment center at the 26th of September Hospital in the Al-Jafina camp south of Marib City on Friday, July 19, 2024.

The Yemeni News Agency (Saba) reported that the center, funded by the International Organization for Migration, has a capacity of 20 beds.

Al-Abbadi emphasized the importance of these centers in treating cases of acute watery diarrhea and confirmed cholera infections, providing free treatment from the initial stage of infection through isolation to recovery, according to the agency.

He explained that "this is the third center in the governorate after the opening of two centers at Al-Husun Hospital in Al-Wadi District and the Emergency Hospital in Marib City."

The local official stressed the "need for the health sector in Marib Governorate, which hosts over 3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities, to establish more specialized centers and support its efforts in combating the cholera epidemic, containing it, and limiting its spread."

During the inauguration, Al-Abbadi called on "partner organizations to equip more of these centers and provide them with all the necessary modern medical equipment, medicines, and various solutions, in addition to qualified health personnel and everything needed to operate them and enable them to perform their role fully," according to Saba.

Yemen's healthcare system has suffered significant deterioration during the nine years of war. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HeRAMS) monitoring initiative, only 70% of healthcare facilities are currently operating fully or partially.

In addition to the weak infrastructure in Marib Governorate, it hosts the majority of IDPs in the country, with 2,134,497 IDPs according to the annual report of the Executive Unit for the Management of IDP Camps in Marib, including 63,623 families consisting of 458,085 individuals living in camps.