Yemen’s healthcare system could collapse in some parts of the country if funding continues to decline, the country’s Minister of Public Health and Population, Qasim Buhaibeh, has warned.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Buhaibeh said the ongoing war and shortage of resources have already forced some health facilities to close, while hospitals face shortages of medicines, medical supplies and fuel.
He warned that the health sector may not have the capacity to cope with further waves of displacement caused by the conflict.
Emergency services, maternal and child healthcare, vaccination and nutrition programmes, as well as dialysis and cancer treatment, are among the services most threatened by the funding crisis.
According to health data updated through June 2026, about 19.3 million people in Yemen require health assistance, while only 17 percent of the funding needed for the humanitarian response has been secured.
Buhaibeh estimated that fewer than half of Yemen’s health facilities may now be operating at full capacity. The World Health Organization has previously estimated that about 60 percent of facilities remain operational.
The minister also said approximately 134,550 people were displaced between June and September 22, with many of them in Taiz, Lahij and Aden. The influx has placed additional pressure on healthcare facilities already struggling with limited resources.
He further warned that incomplete health reporting from Houthi-controlled areas has made it difficult for authorities to obtain a comprehensive picture of disease outbreaks across the country.
Meanwhile, displacement, malnutrition and low vaccination rates are occurring alongside outbreaks of cholera, measles and polio. More than 27,000 confirmed measles cases were reported in 2025, while around half of Yemen’s children under five are affected by chronic malnutrition.
The International Organization for Migration said nearly 130,000 people, representing about 30,000 households, have been displaced across seven governorates since fighting intensified between the Iran-backed Houthis and forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government in early September.
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