Taiz sees urgent KSRelief medical aid as lifeline for city under siege

The aid sent to Taiz by KSRelief consists of medical supplies, surgical equipment, antibiotics and medicines to treat fungi and parasites.(SPA)

JEDDAH: Thirty Houthi rebels were killed when they tried to infiltrate the Saudi-Yemen border, said Col. Daghash Al-Masradi, commander of the National Guard at Al-Rabuah Center. “Their weapons were seized by security forces.”
In a statement, Col. Al-Masradi said on Monday that two militia hideouts were identified on the border and were destroyed, adding that the fight to prevent the rebels from crossing the border is documented in video and audio recording.
In an exemplary heroic act, on Sunday night, one member of the National Guard suffered a serious injury, but refused to be transferred to hospital in order to continue work on the front line.
Meanwhile, KSRelief on Saturday distributed medical aid to Al-Rawdah, Al-Mothfar and Al-Ta’awun hospitals in the Yemeni province of Taiz, in coordination with the World Health Organization and a humanitarian relief coalition, supervised by the Higher Medical Committee in the province.
The aid consisted of medicines, medical supplies, surgical equipment, as well as IV treatment, antibiotics and medicines to treat fungi and parasites.
A medical management specialist from the coalition said the aid distribution is part of the urgent medical assistance program implemented in Taiz hospitals; it is an ongoing effort until all hospitals and health centers chosen by the Higher Medical Committee receive their share of medical supplies.
Acting director of Al-Mothfar hospital praised KSRelief’s humanitarian gesture, which is part of the center’s urgent assistance program for hospitals in Taiz, launched last week.
The program aims to distribute 12 tons of medicines and medical supplies to 12 hospitals and seven health centers in different districts of the province.
Taiz Gov. Ali Al-Maamari said KSRelief has been a great supporter of the health sector in Taiz, providing more than 90 percent of the assistance and aid to the injured and wounded in the province.
He said the center signed contracts with eight private hospitals, four in Aden and four in Taiz, to treat the injured, covering the entire treatment cost.
Previously, when the city was under siege, the center airdropped medical relief supplies to the needy.
For two years, said the governor, the center has been supporting the families of Taiz, despite efforts by the Houthis and ousted leader Ali Abdullah Saleh to punish the city because it was the first to rebel against them.
The governor said that only two out of the nine hospitals in the province are functioning, and at minimum capacity, after the city’s health and government facilities were bombed by Saleh and Houthi militias. He added that “these criminals committed war crimes, killing more than 3,500 people and wounding more than 12,000 people, of whom 2,500 are in critical condition”.
“The rebel militias of the Houthis and Saleh prevented on Saturday a security delegation from UNICEF to enter Taiz, continuing their siege of the city where people suffer from poor health conditions after the outbreak of cholera,” he said.
The military said the rebel forces refused to allow entry to the delegation, despite the truce, which stipulated lifting the siege and allowing humanitarian assistance.
He said the militia held up UNICEF employees for hours as they tried to enter, but ultimately denied them entry and continues to maintain the siege and limit entry in and exit from the city despite the truce.
Militias also target neighborhoods and the Yemeni national army and resistance sites, said the governor, adding that the local authority in Taiz strongly condemns the Houthi rebels for denying UN personnel entry into Taiz.
In a statement conveyed by Al-Maamari, the governor said a security delegation headed by Julian Harnaz Rick, UNICEF country director, was on its way to visit Taiz on Saturday to asses the health and humanitarian situation and meet with government entities and humanitarian relief organizations.
They were stopped by coup militia in the area of Al-Akrood in Al-Masraakh and forced to return.
He said the rebels’ act “reflects the absurdity and stupidity of these militias, who reveal day after day their criminality and lack of commitment to agreements.”
The Taiz governor urged the UN delegation to inform the world about the suffering of civilians trapped there, so that the international community can learn the truth about the crippling blockade on the province for the past two years.