Yemeni Thalassemia Association Warns of a Health Catastrophe Threatening Thousands of Children in Yemen

Yemeni Thalassemia Association Warns of a Health Catastrophe Threatening Thousands of Children in Yemen

Yemeni Association for Thalassemia and Genetic Blood Disorders marked World Thalassemia Day on Thursday, May 8, amid worsening humanitarian and health conditions affecting more than 40,000 people suffering from thalassemia and genetic blood disorders in Yemen, most of them children, due to the continued shortage of essential medicines and difficulties in obtaining safe blood.

In a press statement, the association said that thalassemia and genetic blood disorder patients are facing critical health conditions because of the unavailability of iron chelation medications, rising treatment costs, and the deterioration of blood transfusion services. This situation threatens the lives of thousands of patients who require regular blood transfusions every three to four weeks.

The statement added that the treatment center receives dozens of patients daily, while medical and humanitarian needs continue to increase amid limited resources and insufficient support required to sustain healthcare services for patients.

The association called on government authorities, humanitarian organizations, and donors to urgently intervene by providing medicines and medical supplies and ensuring the continuation of healthcare and safe blood transfusion services in order to save patients’ lives and alleviate their worsening suffering.

The association also renewed its call for greater community awareness regarding the importance of premarital medical screening as a key step in reducing the spread of genetic diseases, emphasizing that thalassemia patients need sustainable support to guarantee their right to treatment and a dignified life.

In its closing statement, the association stressed that saving thalassemia patients is a shared humanitarian responsibility, affirming that every contribution and support effort can make a real difference in the lives of sick children. It called for intensified efforts to secure a safer and healthier future for them.

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