Médecins Sans Frontières - INTERVIEW: CHRISTIAN KATZER IN YEMEN (INT)

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSF265250

Date taken / Date Recorded 14/03/2019 12:00 AM

Country Yemen

Commissioning section MSF-NETHERLANDS

Photographer / videographer / producer Nuha Mohammed

Copyright Nuha Mohammed/MSF

Usage Rights (MSF) External Media, MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available no

Editor's rating ★★★ (F)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 2m15s

Maximum Size 1920px × 1080px 163.16 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist
Access to healthcare in Taiz City !
What is very obvious is access to health care very difficult for people. We see that women arrive very late for deliveries. Main reasons is the war, the destroyed infrastructure, and the economic situation make it very difficult for them to come especially if they live in rural areas or in areas affected by violence. We have patients who comes hours on the road in order to come to get a free delivery.
Humanitarian response in the city!
Actually everybody is affected by the war but we see very high child and maternal mortality.
MSF one of the only organizations working in the city. We are the only organization with permanent international staff on the ground. And that just too little.
we see is the number of deliveries that we are supporting does not correspond to the needs which should be there. Therefore, it does really need more international actors on the ground, needs specialists in Taiz city who support healthcare and make access to life saving to medical treatment possible.
I have been speaking to a woman who traveled for 4 hours with obstructed labor she had to cross a number of checkpoints to get into the city and she came at night. She had to maneuver through narrow side roads in order to actually reach to the hospital. The husband told me that he was really afraid to lose his wife because it just took so long and she was heavily bleeding. Those cases illustrate very clear that there is just too little access to healthcare and people have to take an enormous risk to try to reach health facility.

Challenges in providing Healthcare!
Being in Taiz city is a challenge, we know that. There is a number of armed groups in the city who control different part and there is a frontline near by. Getting to Taiz city is a complicated matter. You have to go through narrow mountain roads. The main road is blocked by the frontline. So yes, there is difficulties. On the other hand, we have a team in Taiz city for the last 4 years. Therefore, yes it is possible. There is always a solution the needs overwhelming.

Violations against the medical mission !
we still see attacks on hospitals, health structures, ambulances and medical staff. We see armed groups preventing people of receiving care. That is not acceptable.
There is need to be clear acceptance of neutrality of medical facilities, of ambulances and the access to healthcare to the population is vital and has to be granted.