WHO Yemen: Yemen introduces a national emergency medicine diploma to address the critical shortage of specialists

Aden, Yemen  

After a decade of conflict, Yemen’s health system is severely strained.

In the face of enormous challenges and overwhelming needs, health care workers remain at the heart of the system, continuing to serve on the front lines. They are the lifeline that keeps hospitals and emergency services functioning. But the critical shortage of specialized emergency physicians limits hospitals’ ability to provide timely, lifesaving care.

As of 2026, approximately 23.1 million Yemenis require humanitarian assistance and protection services, with projections indicating more than half of the population will remain in crisis or emergency conditions, underscoring the critical need to invest in the workers that sustain the health system.

To help address this gap, WHO Yemen, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and Population and the Yemeni Medical Council for Specialties, supported the launch of Yemen’s first Postgraduate Diploma in Emergency Medicine in Aden on 12 April 2025 via the Emergency Human Capital project funded by The World Bank.

The initiative strengthens national institutional capacity by embedding the curriculum within Yemen’s own medical educational system, delivered through the Yemeni Medical Council for Specialties. By collaborating with national institutions and accredited bodies, the programme ensures emergency medicine specialization is locally led and sustainably integrated into health workforce development.

The landmark 9-month programme enrolled 25 physicians from public hospitals across southern governorates, including facilities in rural and underserved areas. The training, which combined theoretical instruction with hands-on clinical rotations in emergency rooms and intensive and cardiac care units, equipped participants with the skills needed to manage critical emergency conditions, including trauma, infectious diseases and mass casualty incidents.

The programme represents a long-term investment in Yemen’s health workforce, helping establish a national pool of qualified emergency medicine professionals to serve vulnerable populations. By strengthening physicians’ skills, the diploma enhances the quality and timeliness of lifesaving emergency care services in public hospitals, building institutional capacity.

As Yemen continues to face one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises, strengthening the health workforce is vital to sustaining critical health services.

Initiatives such as the Postgraduate Diploma in Emergency Medicine help ensure that hospitals can continue delivering lifesaving care under challenging conditions. By investing in national capacity, WHO and its partners are supporting Yemen’s path towards a more resilient health system capable of responding to emergencies and saving lives.