Yemen, Al Hudaydah – Fatima was pregnant with her first child when she began to face serious complications. She and her husband were extremely worried what the cost a safe delivery would entail.  

 “Me and my wife live in a small hut made of wood and torn clothes. War pushed us out of our house and out of work. To earn a living, I work for a daily wage that barely meets our basic needs. We do not have any savings,” said Hassan, Fatima’s husband.  

As Fatima began to have severe abdominal pain, Hassan faced his fears and took his wife to the nearest health center, the Al Jarahi Rural Hospital. The family did not have any money in hand but soon Fatima found the care she was in a dire need for.

 “Fatima arrived at the reproductive health ward suffering from serious obstructed labour and a slow fetal heartbeat. As these conditions were life threatening to her and the baby, a caesarian was the appropriate intervention to ensure a safe delivery,” said Dr. Erina, the gynecologist at the hospital.  

 “In Al Hudaydah, basic health services are severely deprived. Pregnant women are amongst the most vulnerable, suffering from bleeding and other complications during delivery,” Dr. Erina added.

The successful caesarian helped to prevent the serious risks Fatima's pregnancy posed. Had the services not been available free of charge close to her home, Fatima would not have been able to afford the transportation cost and would have had to deliver at home, putting her life and her baby in serious danger.

“I am so grateful for these health services being available to me and other desperate women like me through the friendly, passionate and caring medical teams of midwives, nurses and doctors,” said Fatima after recovering from her surgery. 

“I entered this hospital with no money in hand, full of fear about the fate of my pregnant wife and my unborn child. I am leaving the hospital with a healthy mother and baby, looking forward to a new beginings as a family” stated Hassan.  

With support from the Qatar Fund for Development, UNFPA has been able to provide basic health and reproductive health services at Al Jarahi Rural Hospital free of charge. Fatima is one of  20,000 women who received health services at the hospital since the beginning 2021 with the support of the Qatar Fund of Development. She is also one the 55 women who had sucessful ceaseasan sections at the hospital within the last two months.

The Qatar Fund for Development supports 10 health facilities across three governorates in Yemen.