Local Editor
Abdo Ahmen Mohammed Qassem suffered from a serious liver illness which can only be treated outside of Yemen. However, because of the air blockade on Sana’a International Airport, he and many people like him, have been unable to get the help they need.
‘All patients have given up, even the ones with money,’ Abdo Ahmen Mohammed Qassem, had explained to the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The 47-year-old teacher and father of six from Yemen, had spent the last 13 years suffering from a liver illness called Bilharzia, (a disease caused by parasitic worms). His doctors have told him can only be treated properly abroad.
‘Every doctor I visited, gave me a different opinion. Some of them told me that even outside the country the disease I have cannot be treated. I need to have a liver transplant. Some doctors told me that there might be a cure for me outside Yemen other than the liver transplant surgery and the high costs.’
However, due to an air blockade on Yemen’s Sana’a International Airport, Yemenis hoping to seek treatment for life threatening illnesses have been prevented from leaving the country.
Last week marked the third consecutive year since Yemen’s airspace and main airport were closed off to inbound and outbound travel, the Norwegian Refugee Council and CARE International had said.
Within that time around 32,000 people had died because they had been unable to leave the country in order to seek medical treatment, they added.
According to Yemen’s Ministry for Health, the airport had been a key channel for those seeking treatment for a range of medical conditions involving the heart, kidney and liver disease, blood conditions, cancer and other long-term health conditions. Before the blockade, around 7,000 people are understood to have travelled out annually.
Qassem would’ve been one of those people.
‘It used to be very easy to travel, patients used to go to Jordan, India, China, Malaysia and Germany for medical treatment. Relatives and organizations used to sponsor their medical trips. They used to take them from hospital to Egypt, I used to see this happening as I have been suffering for 13 years. They took them to Jordan and Germany. When they get there they receive proper treatment and recover.’
‘I didn’t get the chance to go at that time and now when I need it most the airport is closed,’ Qassem adds.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
