WHO Yemen: Creating safer, more resilient hospitals in Yemen

Aden, Yemen 

Hospitals, a cornerstone of functioning health systems, continue to face significant challenges in Yemen due to the ongoing conflict, limited resources, damaged infrastructure and the growing impacts of climate change.

To address these challenges, in 2023 the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Public Health and Population launched an initiative to enhance hospital resilience. As WHO Representative to Yemen, Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain, explained: “The initiative aims to build capacities to prepare for and respond to a sudden increase in demand for emergency care during crises, including cyclones, floods and mass casualty events.”

The initiative, supported by the World Bank as part of the Emergency Human Capital Project (EHCP), includes training hospital managers and staff on disaster management concepts and establishing disaster management teams within participating facilities.

So far nine governorate hospitals are participating in the initiative. More than 263 of their staff (50% female) have participated in training. Collectively, these hospitals serve millions of people every year.

To coordinate and roll out the initiative, local trainers have been appointed in each targeted governorate.

Building on orientation and initial training activities, participating hospitals have conducted baseline risk assessments to determine the crises they are most likely to face. Using the WHO operational guide and the Hospital Safety Index, participating hospitals developed improvement plans to enhance preparedness. Hospitals are now implementing these plans using their own budgets, including repairs and maintenance to strengthen safety.

WHO provided online training on the Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (HEAT) in 2024 for more than 70 health workers from 10 governorates across the country. The training targeted emergency room managers, technical managers and quality team leads in hospitals and aimed to better assess emergency room conditions and identify service gaps.

All of this work builds on the success of the hospital care and management programme, previously implemented by WHO with support from the World Bank. Through this programme, more than 1,700 hospital managers and senior health staff across Yemen were equipped with essential skills in leadership, quality of care, and emergency and disaster management, helping to strengthen hospital performance nationwide. Building on these achievements, the same trained staff are now taking part in the hospital resilience initiative, where they continue to strengthen and enhance their skills.

Moving forward, hospitals plan to continue rolling out disaster management training, including drills and post-exercise debriefings. They also hope to invest in better communication systems for internal and external coordination.

Given significant challenges in ensuring uninterrupted provision of electricity, water and sanitation services, hospitals are exploring backup systems to maintain essential operations. Hospitals will also seek to improve patient data management, enhance community coordination and provide mental health support for staff and patients in times of crisis.