Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The United Kingdom has announced new funding exceeding $33 million to support Yemen’s healthcare sector, in a move aimed at strengthening the resilience of the health system and improving essential healthcare services in a country facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The announcement came during the third meeting of the International Health Coordination Group for Yemen, hosted in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with the participation of representatives from donor agencies, international organizations, and the Yemeni government. The event was jointly organized by the Saudi Program for Development and Reconstruction of Yemen, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and Yemen’s Ministry of Health.
British Ambassador to Yemen, Abda Sharif, said that her country had allocated £25 million, equivalent to approximately $33.7 million, to support the recovery and sustainability of Yemen’s healthcare sector. She emphasized that the funding would primarily focus on primary healthcare services, especially those provided to women and children.
She explained that the British support includes contributing to the operation of more than 700 health centers across various Yemeni provinces, describing primary healthcare as a “lifeline” for millions of Yemenis amid worsening humanitarian and service conditions.
The ambassador also revealed joint funding cooperation between London and Riyadh to support efforts to combat cholera and curb the spread of epidemics, in addition to strengthening the healthcare system’s preparedness to respond to escalating crises.
Sharif confirmed the continuation of coordination between Britain, Saudi Arabia, and the Yemeni government to ensure the delivery of life-saving health services to the population, stressing the importance of unifying donor priorities and supporting the national health strategy.
More than 20 representatives from UN organizations, donor agencies, experts, and Yemeni officials participated in the meeting, where discussions focused on addressing funding gaps and enhancing coordination mechanisms to protect the healthcare sector from collapse.
