Yemen’s collapsing healthcare forces the sick to seek alternative medicines

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports from Taiz, Yemen, that the country’s weakened health system is pushing some patients toward herbal and other alternative remedies when they cannot afford treatment or reach qualified care. The article describes a woman in her 50s, Jaleelah Abdul Hameed, who says delayed and incorrect diagnoses preceded a later discovery that she had liver cancer. After being told she would need care abroad, she instead turned to herbal mixtures sold by local practitioners, only to see her condition worsen before returning to hospital for chemotherapy.

The story places her experience against a broader collapse in public health services. Citing the World Health Organization, Al Jazeera says more than 20 million people in Yemen lack access to basic medical care, and at least half of health facilities are non-functional. That has left many residents vulnerable to recurring disease outbreaks and reliant on honey shops and herbal centers that are widespread across the country.

Al Jazeera also describes mixed public perceptions of herbal medicine. One man interviewed, Raqeeb Sultan, said he felt better after using plant leaves mixed with honey for stomach pain linked to H. pylori, though a doctor quoted in the piece warned that symptoms can fluctuate and that only qualified clinicians can properly treat such infections. Herbal practitioners argue that their methods are based on experience and tradition, while doctors caution that some patients delay effective care and arrive back at hospitals in worse condition.

The article highlights an unresolved policy gap: some local health officials say complaints are referred to legal authorities because these shops do not operate as formal healthcare providers, while critics, including Jaleelah, say authorities should supervise them more closely to protect patients.