No More Access Barriers to Healthcare in Al-Abdiyah District

Rural residents of Al-Khaleelah sub-district have encountered a variety of access barriers to healthcare services for the past ten years. Health facilities were either abandoned or closed due to the unavailability of medical equipment, workforce shortages as well as essential drugs. Clearly, Marib governorate is being an area of deadly war and conflict, especially in Al-Abdiyah district where a massive number of displaced families have fled to Al-Khaleelah sub-district which doubled the basic human needs for thousands of residents.

Unfortunately, Al-Khaleelah health unit is one of those closed HFs which stopped providing primary healthcare services for almost ten years and became a house for one of the displaced families. This health unit required major rehabilitation works as well as sufficient medical supplies to be working again as it serves more than 5,000 individuals within the three catchment areas of the sub-district.

Since May, 2020, RDP in partnership with YHF implemented the Emergency Minimum Service Package project, supporting three health facilities (Al-Shejab, Khaleelah and Makhlaq) with all necessary equipment, drugs, furniture, and internal maintenance to ensure their effective response towards the growing health needs in Al-Abdiyah district of Marib governorate. A number of 2,774 individuals – disaggregated (540 men, 928 women, 634 boys, 672 girls) – have benefitted from primary healthcare services, reproductive health, vaccination, medical consultations, and outreach activities in Khaleelah health unit.

Khaleelah health unit continued – despite the current armed conflicts – to deliver essential healthcare services. Until August, 2020, the security situation, however became very much intensified, causing a grave risk to the safety of health workers which unfortunately led to the discontinuity & closure of the health facility.