Medical Services on the Move Reach Communities Forced to Flee in Ma’rib

Ma’rib - Every morning, a team consisting of a doctor, medical assistant, pharmacist, and midwife boards a clinic on wheels in Ma’rib, stocking it with supplies and medicine before starting their day’s journey.

The International Organization for Migration’s six mobile medical clinics are always on the road, with mobile health teams moving between 37 displacement sites to serve thousands of families who have sought refuge from rising violence in recent months. 

In the month of October, IOM mobile health teams responded to nearly 10,000 people who fled intensified fighting across the governorate – providing medical consultations, reproductive health services, vaccinations, free medicine, referrals to hospitals, and health promotion in areas close to active frontlines.

Access to essential health care is one of the biggest challenges faced by displaced families in Ma’rib. Health facilities are scarce in the areas surrounding displacement sites, and most of those forced to flee cannot afford transportation to health facilities for treatment and care. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation, increasing the demand for health care, and overstretching the health facilities capabilities. 

“Many displaced people count on the mobile clinic as their only way to receive medical care and medicine,” said Nada, an IOM Health Staff in Ma’rib. 

In Al Jufainah, Yemen’s largest displacement site, more 58,000 people have received health care from the two mobile medical clinics operating in the site since February 2020. This year alone, more than 80,000 people have received relief from the mobile response across the entire governorate.

“Every day, we are responding to the health needs of at least 70 patients in Al Jufainah camp alone. Those who need intensive care are referred to one of four main hospitals that IOM supports nearby,” Nada added.

Fakeha, a 34-year-old single mother of three, studied and worked as a midwife for over a decade in Rahabah District in Ma’rib before she had to flee violence at home last year.

Six months ago, she joined the mobile health team in Al Jufainah as a midwife, helping pregnant women to prepare for and safely give birth. She also maintains the clinic’s supply of drugs and equipment. 

“Displaced women only go to the hospital when there is an emergency. Their low incomes and lack of access to health facilities force many to endure pregnancies without seeking medical care,” explained Fakeha.

For women uprooted by war, reproductive health care is a lifesaving service. Displaced women and their children are often at greater risk of dying from preventable health problems. The lack of safe maternal care, family planning, newborn care and obstetric care also increase the likelihood of unplanned pregnancies and unsafe deliveries among many displaced women.

With open arms, Fakehah provides women and their babies with care and support they need, including with prenatal, antenatal and postnatal services.

“Many displaced pregnant women and their babies suffer from malnutrition. I give them advice on how they can better care for themselves and their newborns as well as teach them family planning methods and the risks of early marriage,” she said.

“It’s such a relief that the mobile clinic frequently stops near my shelter, and that there is always a midwife ready to offer suitable advice and medicine,” said Zamzam, a 31-year-old mother of three from Ibb who has been displaced in Al Jufainah for a year.

Conflict and the worsening economic situation have forced many displaced men to search for work elsewhere in the country. This means that women who must carry the responsibility of providing for their families on their own, with dwindling resources for even the most basic health services.

“Most pregnant or lactating woman are not in good health, and their babies suffer from malnutrition,” Zamzam added.

To continue these lifesaving interventions, IOM urgently requires greater funds from the donor community in the coming year. If these funds are not received, the Organization may need to close down its health operations at a time when it should be scaling up to meet the rising needs in Ma’rib and other conflict-affected areas.

In 2021, the six mobile clinics provided health consultations to 60,000 patients, nutritional screenings to 12,000 patients and reproductive health services to over 9,500 displaced people in Ma’rib. Additionally, IOM provides medicine, medical equipment and incentives for medical staff in four other static health facilities in Ma’rib run by local authorities.

IOM’s mobile medical intervention in Ma’rib has been made possible thanks to funding from the Government of Japan, the USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) and the United Nations Central Emergency Fund.

This story was written by Elham Al Oqabi and Mennatallah Humaid, IOM Communication Assistants