Humanitarian relief coalition along with its partners on Wednesday held a press conference on the continuing deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Taiz province and its different districts especially after the stop of humanitarian aid and non-payment of salaries. The press conference’s organizers asserted that the province has entered the stage of famine after two years of war that has led to the deteriorating economic situation and stopping the flow of humanitarian aid to the affected people in the city and payment of monthly salaries to state employees who have not been paid since August, 2016. Undersecretary of Taiz province, Rashad al-Ackhali, stressed that the humanitarian situation in the province has become unbearable and that hundreds of families have no longer what to eat. For his part, director general of public health and population office in Taiz, Dr. Abdul Rahim Alsamey, spoke about the health situation in the city of Taiz especially after the bulk of hospitals and health facilities in the province have stopped working due to major damages caused by the war. In a statement issued by the coalition after the press conference, it was pointed out that 116 health facilities have no longer been in operation and 32 hospitals and health facilities have been damaged, while nine other hospitals in the city provide only 40% of health services. It was also added that 20 hospitals in rural areas do not offer emergency and inpatient services, and that there are 4638 cases of cancer. The head of humanitarian relief coalition, Dr. Abdul Karim Shamsan, has renewed his call to the Yemeni government to quickly intervene and offer an urgent solution to the tragedy of Taiz, which is getting worse every day, as the province has never received any relief aid since August 2016. Shamsan also called on international organizations to take on humanitarian and moral responsibilities to save Taiz’s population, stressing that statements and warnings about the gravity of the situation in Taiz, issued repeatedly by organizations, have not been translated into practical programmes and urgent solutions. Humanitarian relief coalition, as he explained in the statement, was able during the previous period to reach to all districts of Taiz province, and implement dozens of relief programmes in spite of the war and the siege laid to these areas. At the end of the statement, the coalition and its partners noted that humanitarian organizations are fully responsible for the lives and safety of civilians who are facing the specter of poverty, hunger and blockade.
