Yemen’s health system could collapse in some areas, minister warns

What the report says

Yemen’s health minister, Qasim Buhaibeh, warned Al Jazeera that the country’s health system could lose the ability to provide services in some areas if funding keeps declining. He said the strain of war, repeated displacement and shortages of medicines, supplies and fuel are already forcing some facilities to close or operate below capacity.

Buhaibeh said the most vulnerable services include emergency care, maternal and child health, vaccinations, nutrition support, dialysis and cancer treatment. He also pointed to a funding gap, saying Yemen’s health response had received only 17 percent of the amount needed, while updated health data through June 2026 showed 19.3 million people requiring assistance. He estimated that fewer than half of health facilities may now be working at full capacity.

The minister linked the warning to fresh displacement, saying tens of thousands of people had been uprooted between June and late September, especially in Taiz, Lahij and Aden. He said the movement of families is increasing pressure on already stretched clinics and hospitals. He also said reporting from Houthi-controlled areas has been suspended for nearly a year, limiting a nationwide picture of disease trends.

The Al Jazeera report said Buhaibeh cited outbreaks of cholera, measles and polio alongside malnutrition and low vaccination coverage. It added that aid groups, including the IOM, have reported new displacement as fighting has intensified between Houthi forces and the internationally recognised government coalition. This matters because further deterioration could leave many Yemenis without basic care in a country already facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.