Obstruction of Medical Air Bridge, by US-Saudi Aggression, Continues, Stranding 32,000 Patients

The head of the Medical Committee and Humanitarian Medical Air Bridge, Dr. Mutahar Darwish, explained that “the US-Saudi aggression continues to obstruct the start of UN approved flights, of the air bridge. Each flight can help rescue more than 32 patients with severe diseases. These people are in need travel for treatment outside Yemen and are at risk of death. Amid repeated postponement of their departure, ambiguity of the United Nations position can’t be explained” regarding this.

Dr. Darwish attributed the obstruction of the humanitarian medical bridge for two years to “political motives” rather than technical reasons. He said that “the World Health Organization blames the countries that will receive patients for the failure of the medical bridge, and that is not the truth.” He added that “the World Health Organization did not provide any positive indication about the date of the first flight of the medical bridge or the programming of the rest of the trips.”

However, Dr. Mutahar Darwish, revealed the exacerbation of the urgent need for the bridge, saying that “the committee received 32 thousand files for people with severe diseases and there are tens of thousands of patients in need of treatment outside Yemen.” He added that “there are 2000 patients with incurable diseases who do not have the cost of treatment and lack of opportunities for treatment inside Yemen due to the aggression and the siege.”

“We agreed with the Red Cross that the number of patients on the first trip would be 50 patients and 50 companions, and we were surprised by the Health Organization, informing us that the number of patients on the first flight will be 30 patients and 30 companions only.”

Dr. Mutahar condemned the international silence, explaining that “the silence of the world on banning flights to and from Sana’a airport means the slow death and suffering of tens of thousands of patients.”

It is noteworthy that preventing patients from traveling for treatment is classified as a full-fledged war crime according to international humanitarian law and international criminal law, which criminalize “everything that might endanger or threaten the lives of civilians.”