The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) issued a striking report on maternal and infant deaths in Yemen, where the humanitarian crisis has been experienced.

The report noted that more than 4 years of conflict in Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Middle East, has worsened the situation of pregnant women and babies in the country.

UNICEF explained that “the years of war in Yemen have led to worsening the condition of women and their newborns during labor, in a country which is already the poorest in the Middle East and one of the poorest worldwide even before the escalation of fights early 2015.

The report added that "Mothers and infants are among the most vulnerable categories in Yemen, especially as basic public services, including maternal and child health care, are on the verge of total collapse."

"Today, Yemen's brutal conflict continues rob to children of their right to life for the survivors to the best healthcare possible," UNICEF said in the report.

"This includes prenatal and postnatal care for their mothers. One consequence of the war in Yemen is manifested as an evidence attack on parenting," the report underlined.

Saying that maternal and child survival are closely linked; UNICEF noted that when a mother dies, this significantly increases the risk of children dying.

The report indicated that "one of the war's repercussions that befell Yemen is the clear assault on motherhood and paternity", noting that "only 51 percent of all health facilities are operating at full capacity. Thus, these facilities suffer from a severe shortage of medicines, equipment, and personnel."

UNICEF also said that "the rate of labors which take place at home is also increasing because Yemeni families are getting poorer every day."

According to accounts by women interviewed in an ongoing qualitative study on health services in Sana’a, Taiz, and Aden, home births are also on the rise 1.

They reported that because families are getting poorer by the day, an increasing number of women are opting to have their babies at home, and only seek medical care if they experience complications.

ILKHA