In May 2023, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) opened a pediatric ward at Al-Qanawis Mother and Child Hospital in Al-Hudaydah governorate, Yemen.
Teams at the facility provide quality health care to children aged one month to 15 years old suffering from medical conditions such as severe upper and lower respiratory tract infections, complicated malaria, persistent vomiting, diarrhea with dehydration, and other acute conditions requiring hospitalization.
Karima and Ahmed
Karima and her son, Ahmed, who is six months old, are from Wadi Mor, Az Zuhra district. They traveled for three hours to reach the hospital in Al-Hudaydah. Three times, they had to stop along the way so they could switch between cars and animals to continue their journey.
“Ahmed was sick,” said Karima. “We took him to a clinic, but they said they didn't have any treatment for him, so they asked us to take him to Al-Qanawis Mother and Child Hospital.”
Upon arrival at the MSF-run pediatric ward, Ahmed was diagnosed with pneumonia. He received treatment for five days, and his condition improved each day.
“We didn’t have the financial means to pay for Ahmed's treatment,” she explained. “We could barely afford the transport costs. Here, the treatment is free.”
Salwa and Layth
Salwa and her grandson, Layth, who is four months old, were displaced from Haradth district to Zaidiyah in Al-Hudaydah governorate. They traveled for two to three hours to reach the hospital because they trusted the quality of care there. Layth had been coughing and had difficulty breathing.
“Here there is good care for each child, it's clean and well organized, and they provide everything for free,” said Salwa. “We can't afford the admission fees and the cost of medical tests elsewhere. We made deposits to cover the cost of transportation to the hospital. This is my daughter-in-law's first child and I'm here to support her.”
Layth was also diagnosed with pneumonia and admitted to the MSF-run pediatric ward.
“Most of the cases we receive are respiratory tract infections,” said Dr. Ola’a Al Hitari, a general practitioner at the hospital. “Malnutrition cases are widespread, [as are] diarrhea cases. Sometimes we receive cases of whooping cough and meningitis. One of the difficulties we sometimes face is overcrowding in the departments. There are also difficulties [accessing] transportation, so sometimes patients arrive late.”
Between May and December, our team treated 639 patients in the pediatric department.
MSF activities at Al-Qanawis Mother and Child Hospital
MSF has been working at Al-Qanawis Mother and Child Hospital since December 2020. We provide maternal health care, neonatology, and run an operating theater. The maternity ward has a capacity of 35 beds; the neonatology department has 32. The 22-bed pediatric ward has two isolation beds for patients who require it, such as those with complicated cases of measles, diphtheria, whooping cough, or any other infectious disease.
Between May and December 2023, our team admitted 639 patients to the pediatric department at Al-Qanawis Mother and Child Hospital.
