Over 150,000 people have died as a result of Yemen’s destructive conflict, which has already lasted eight years and created one of the greatest humanitarian crises in history.
The youngsters, who ranged in age from three to 15, passed away in Sanaa’s Kuwait Hospital after receiving injections of expired medication from several private clinics, according to a statement released on Thursday by the rebel-run Health Ministry. The authorities omitted a date for the 10 fatalities.
About 50 children received a smuggled chemotherapy drug called Methotrexate that was originally produced in India, according to a half dozen health authorities and employees who talked to The Associated Press. They claimed that a total of 19 kids had perished due to the outdated medicine. The officials and employees talked under the condition of anonymity because they had not been instructed to address the media.
Lack of access to necessities like food and medication during the Yemeni conflict has given rise to extensive smuggling networks in both rebel-held Houthi territories and Saudi coalition-controlled regions.
Numerous medical professionals in Sanaa said that Houthi leaders secretly collaborate with drug traffickers to provide private clinics in the nation with frequently out-of-date medication. They said that by doing this, the Houthis were reducing the selection of effective therapies.
The Houthi health ministry said that an investigation into the event has been launched. In their statement, they ascribed the fatalities on the Saudi-led coalition troops for depriving Houthi-controlled areas of medicine.
One of the dead children’s family members said that their kid had aches and cramps during the last round of chemotherapy before passing away five days later. The boy’s father, who wished to remain anonymous for the sake of his and his family’s safety, stated, “The worst part was that the hospital management tried to keep the reality from us.”
After a six-month calm in violence, the inability to prolong the national cease-fire in early October has threatened to rekindle carnage. The U.S. ambassador to Yemen accused the rebel group of hijacking the peace talks with last-minute demands, while the Houthis blamed the U.N. for mediating the deadlocked negotiations.
In 2014, Houthi rebels with Iranian support took over large portions of northern Yemen and Sanaa, driving the government into exile. The next year, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia that included the United Arab Emirates intervened in an effort to reinstate the internationally recognised government.
