Tribune News Network
Doha
With funding from Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has initiated an integrated emergency response to combat cholera in Yemen. The project aims to enhance the medical capacity of 26 healthcare facilities across six governorates, with a total budget of QR1,825,000.
The target locations were selected based on specific criteria, including the prevalence of the epidemic, population density, and the urgency of the response in the most affected and overpopulated areas. These areas include Amanat Al-Asimah, Sana’a, Taiz, Hajjah, Al-Hudaydah, and Dhale.
The three-month project aims to operate five diarrheal treatment centres (DTC) and establish 21 oral rehydration corners/therapy (ORCs/ORTs) to offer treatment, prevention, referral, and health awareness services at targeted facilities and surrounding communities. It also focuses on providing essential supplies such as medications, medical equipment, hygiene materials, and rapid testing tools.
Furthermore, the project includes staff remuneration, health education training for volunteers, and the distribution of water purification filters to 200 families, ensuring access to safe drinking water and helping to prevent diarrheal diseases.
An orientation session was conducted to brief the project management and field personnel on the project’s scope and activities. These include the procurement and supply of medical solutions, medications, supplies, and equipment, as well as providing cleaning, sterilization, and rapid test tools. The session also covered the allocation of health staff remunerations, the training of health education volunteers, patient referral processes, and the distribution of water purification filters and hygiene kits.
All activities are coordinated in collaboration with the Water and Environmental Sanitation Cluster and UNICEF.
Earlier this year, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) implemented an emergency cholera response intervention in northwestern Yemen’s Mabyan District, Hajjah Governorate.
The initiative focused on establishing and supporting Oral Rehydration Corners/Therapies (ORCs/ORTs) and supplying medications, medical supplies, and covering operational expenses. At a total cost of $33,000, the project helped treat 6,125 patients with acute diarrhoea.
Cholera has been resurging in Yemen since February, and with the recent heavy rainfall and flash floods affecting parts of the country, infection rates are expected to rise. Vulnerable groups, such as malnourished children, pregnant women, older individuals, and those with chronic diseases, are at particular risk. In August, UNICEF reported 668 deaths and 172,023 suspected cases of acute diarrhoea and cholera.
Additionally, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) earlier projected up to 255,000 suspected cases by September, with a daily rate of 500 to 1,000 new suspected cases.