Geschichten vom Konflikt im Jemen

Wie fühlt es sich an in einem Land zu leben, in dem ein endloser Krieg herrscht, dessen Ende nicht abzusehen ist? Unsere Patient:innen und Mitarbeitenden im Mutter-Kind-Krankenhaus in Taiz Al Houban berichten:

29.06.2020
Maya Abu Ata/MSF

"Ich wünsche uns von nun an nur noch Glück, ich hoffe auf eine gute Zukunft. Ich sehne mich nach dem Tag, an dem es keinen Krieg gibt, und wir wieder entdecken, wie sich Stabilität anfühlt und was Sicherheit bedeutet." - Balequees, Patientin

Für viele Menschen im Jemen sind die Erinnerungen an die letzten Jahre geprägt von einem endlosen Krieg, dessen Ende nicht abzusehen ist. Der sechsjährige Konflikt im Land hat den Zugang der Menschen zu grundlegender Gesundheitsversorgung stark beeinträchtigt. Im Gouvernement Taiz im Südwesten des Landes bestimmen anhaltende Kämpfe und eingeschränkte Bewegungsfreiheit den Alltag der Menschen. Sie werden zurückgelassen - mit eingeschränktem Zugang zu leistbarer und verfügbarer medizinischen Versorgung.

Die Schwere dieses Problems zeigt sich besonders im Mutter-Kind-Krankenhaus in Taiz Al Houban. Unsere Patient:innen und Mitarbeitenden berichten, wie sich die Situation im Land auf ihr Leben auswirkt:

Behind the conflict in Yemen: Balqees and Taha Story
Maya Abu Ata/MSF
"My only wish is for happiness for us from now onwards, I hope for a good future," says Balqees. "I long for the day when there is no war, when we rediscover what stability tastes like, what security means.”
Behind the conflict in Yemen: Taghreed, Operating Theatre (OT) Nurse,
Maya Abu Ata/MSF
“I have seen many mothers in this hospital, but there were two particular patients who have stayed in my mind to this day. They were two mothers who passed away in our hospital. They had arrived from another health facility where there were few qualified medical staff. There was a female staff member who was working as midwife but had little medical expertise. She helped with the deliveries of two women, but unfortunately the women both bled a lot and she couldn’t control the bleeding. Both women arrived at our hospital in a state of shock, at the very final stage. One of the caretakers was a 14-year-old girl – the daughter of one of the women. She was crying and crying, saying that if the distance hadn’t been so far, she wouldn’t have lost her mother. It was very difficult to console the father and the daughter at the same time. What could you possibly say to console them and take away that pain? It was a heartbreaking moment.” - Taghreed, Operating Theatre (OT) nurse, Mother and Child Hospital - Taiz Houban
Behind the conflict in Yemen: Shayma Story
Maya Abu Ata/MSF
"I gave birth to all four of my children here in this hospital," says Shayma. "They were all normal deliveries. I decided to give birth here as there are no good health facilities close to my village. We have a clinic for immunisations and another for nutrition but no maternity services. All the hospitals in Taiz City are far away, and those in Houban too. If there was a closer hospital, I would have been able to visit and have check-ups more often through my pregnancy. We save money whenever possible just so we can afford healthcare when we need it. With my fourth baby, when I arrived here I was not in pain. I was supposed to leave earlier, but it was night time, and because my home is far from the hospital, we waited until morning. We couldn’t travel at night for fear that the road would be blocked. We left at around 9 am. We had rented a private car since we don’t own one – we had to pay 25,000YR or even 30,000YR (40-46 euros) to secure it. The road was very difficult, with many checkpoints on the way. I felt exhausted and was only thinking about my baby during the long hours of travel - I hoped that no harm would come to him because of these difficulties. We arrived at the hospital at 2.30 pm and gave birth at around midnight. I hope my children have a future that is different than mine – one that doesn’t include wars or difficulties like those we have experienced. My wish is to remain safe and for our children to stay healthy and safe.”
Behind the conflict in Yemen: Saddam, Driver
Maya Abu Ata/MSF
“I have been working with MSF since the launch of its project in Taiz governorate, since March 2015. As a driver, I’ve faced many challenges and risks in the course of my work. There are ongoing clashes between the warring parties and we have sometimes faced difficulties on the roads – when transporting medical supplies and transporting staff, and when we enter and exit the city. But thank God, we have come out of these situations safely every time. My duties involve driving into the city, to the hospitals that we support there. We transport medicines for the patients, and we transport patients from the frontlines to the hospitals, and also from our hospital’s emergency room to MSF’s hospital in Al Qa’ida city, in Ibb governorate, to treat their injuries, among other duties.” - Saddam, Driver, Mother and Child Hospital - Taiz Houban