Abyan and al Dale’ Governorates, Yemen – Around three women die every day in Yemen from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, a tragic statistic often stemming from a simple, yet critical, lack of access to essential medicines. Behind every triumphant intervention lies a complex supply chain, quietly working to deliver life-saving reproductive health supplies to facilities across the country.
Warehouses Under Strain: A Lifeline for Yemeni mothers
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Essential medicine storage was compromised by infrastructure issues, threatening maternal health.
- Reproductive health warehouses in Abyan and Al Dale’ governorates serve as vital hubs for distributing medicines to hundreds of women each month.
- Crumbling infrastructure – leaking roofs, power outages, and extreme heat – jeopardized the storage of temperature-sensitive medicines like oxytocin.
- Renovations, supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and UNFPA, have dramatically improved storage conditions and ensured the reliable availability of life-saving medicines.
- the strengthened supply chain directly impacts maternal health, as demonstrated by the story of Sajda Nasser, whose life was saved by readily available oxytocin.
Dale’ Governorate relies on its warehouse to serve between 3,000 and 4,000 women each month. For years, though, the functionality of these crucial facilities was threatened by crumbling infrastructure.leaking roofs, frequent power outages, and scorching heat compromised storage conditions, jeopardizing temperature-sensitive medicines like oxytocin-a vital drug used to control postpartum bleeding.
“Parts of the roof started falling on us while we were working,” recalls Dr. Somaya Mohammed ahmed, a Reproductive Health supply Officer in Abyan.
Strengthening the Supply Chain: A Collaborative Effort
To address these urgent challenges, renovations were undertaken with support from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, through the UNFPA Supplies Partnership, and in collaboration with local partner Field Medical Foundation (FMF). The project focused on tackling long-standing structural damage, improving storage conditions, and establishing reliable power solutions to protect critical medicines.
Dr. Ali Abdullah Saleh, warehouse manager in Al Dale’, describes the dramatic conversion. “Before, there was no proper lighting or cooling, and rainwater damaged the medicines. Now the warehouse is protected, the temperature is stable and supplies can be stored safely.”
From Warehouse to Patient: A Mother’s Story
The impact of these improvements extends far beyond the warehouse walls. By ensuring medicines are stored correctly and distributed on time, the strengthened supply chain directly supports health workers on the front lines-where even minor shortages or delays can have devastating consequences.
At the Reproductive Health and Maternity Center in Zinjibar District, Abyan Governorate-supported by UNFPA and FMF-the reliability of the supply chain proved life-saving for Sajda Nasser, 32. Already weakened by a intricate pregnancy, Sajda began hemorrhaging while traveling from a remote area. By the time she reached the health centre,she had lost her baby and was unconscious.
“I don’t remember anything,” she says. “I only heard the doctors saying, ‘She died, she died.'”
When Medicines are Available, Lives are Saved
Sajda was immediately given oxytocin to control the bleeding, along with intravenous fluids to stabilize her condition.Crucially, the medicines were available on site and had been stored at the correct temperature, preserving their effectiveness.
“When medicines are available, we can respond quickly and save lives,” explains Midwife Waheba. “When they are not, families have to search outside the facility, and that delay can be fatal.” She notes that most maternal deaths she witnesses at the centre are caused by bleeding, whether following childbirth or after a miscarriage.
Sajda survived. She has since regained her strength and plans to return to the centre for family planning services, which are provided free of charge. “If this centre did not exist, I believe I would have died,” she says.
Investing in infrastructure is, fundamentally, an investment in women’s lives.By supporting the rehabilitation of reproductive health warehouses,funding from the Netherlands is helping to ensure that essential medicines reach health facilities safely and reliably-protecting mothers,strengthening health systems,and saving lives in Yemen.
