Hospital in Yemen’s Taiz warns of collapse in days because of Houthi siege

A siege means vital routes into and around Taiz are closed or obstructed during fighting between Houthi forces and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces. This restricts movement of food, fuel, medicines, oxygen, and other hospital supplies. The renewed siege began in the first week of October after Houthi advances in the countryside.

Hospitals depend on regular deliveries to keep treatment running. The dialysis centre normally receives specialised dialysis solutions from Yemen’s Ministry of Health every three months. Its latest delivery, due earlier in the month, did not arrive because of the siege. These solutions are needed to remove harmful substances and excess fluid from patients’ blood.

The shortage is already affecting care. The Republican Hospital’s dialysis centre has reduced sessions, while fuel and medical stocks are nearly exhausted. Amnesty International warned that the closed road between Taiz and Aden threatens access to food, water, and healthcare for hundreds of thousands of civilians.

Dialysis is a life-supporting treatment for people whose kidneys cannot adequately clean their blood. A machine removes excess fluid, toxins, and salts. Patients at the Republican Hospital’s centre depend on repeated sessions because their kidney failure requires regular treatment.

The centre has cut sessions from four hours to two and a half hours. Dr Essam Mahyoub Dahan said the decision reflects shortages of diesel and medical solutions caused by the siege. Diesel powers generators, while specialised solutions are essential to the dialysis process. The centre has no choice, he said, if it wants to keep operating longer.

Shorter sessions are not adequate, according to Dahan. The centre serves 270 regular patients, including 16-year-old Omar Mukhtar Hammoud. Its remaining dialysis solutions are nearly gone, and Dahan warned that a complete shutdown could occur within days if supplies do not arrive.

The crisis extends far beyond one hospital. Taiz’s health office warned that 1,110 patients with kidney failure could be endangered by the continuing siege and blocked supplies. These patients rely on dialysis services in hospitals across the governorate.

The World Health Organization reported severe shortages at 42 health facilities in Taiz city. Hospitals across the governorate normally provide about 210 dialysis sessions each day. Those services require fuel, medicines, specialised dialysis solutions, electricity, and functioning transport routes. If any of these links fails, treatment can be delayed or stopped.

The reported figures show the scale of the threat. The Republican Hospital’s centre alone treats 270 regular patients, while the wider governorate faces risks to more than a thousand people. The WHO also warned that hospitals and ambulances need at least 156,000 litres of fuel monthly, making continued access to fuel and supplies critical.

Taiz’s hospitals depend on diesel generators because much of the city’s electricity infrastructure was destroyed during the war that began 11 years ago. The infrastructure has not been restored. Generators therefore provide the power needed to operate hospital buildings, equipment, and essential services.

Fuel shortages quickly affect medical care. The Republican Hospital has already suspended operations in some departments, including essential units. Diesel also powers equipment linked to dialysis and oxygen production. Hospitals and ambulances across Taiz require at least 156,000 litres of fuel each month to continue functioning.

The hospital has no reserve diesel and is buying fuel almost daily on the black market. Prices have reached five times their pre-siege level. The WHO warned that shortages could disrupt oxygen production, water pumping, vaccine refrigeration, sanitation, and ambulance services. If the siege continues, health services could collapse completely.

Fuel is not only needed to keep hospital lights on. In Taiz, diesel supports oxygen production, water pumping, vaccine refrigeration, sanitation, medical equipment, and ambulances. When fuel supplies fail, several parts of healthcare can break down together rather than separately.

For example, interrupted oxygen production can threaten patients who need lifesaving respiratory support. Failed water pumping undermines cleaning and basic care. Without refrigeration, vaccines may not remain usable. Sanitation systems can stop working, while ambulances may be unable to transport patients or supplies. The WHO identified all these services as vulnerable to diesel shortages.

These disruptions create risks beyond immediate treatment. The WHO warned that failures in water, sanitation, and refrigeration could increase disease outbreaks. Displaced families and other vulnerable people face particular danger. The longer the siege continues, the more likely shortages, rising fuel prices, and disrupted services will deepen the healthcare crisis.

Yemen’s war has lasted 11 years and has left Taiz’s healthcare system dependent on fragile emergency arrangements. Much of the city’s electricity infrastructure was destroyed and has not been restored. Hospitals must therefore rely heavily on diesel generators for power, making healthcare vulnerable to every fuel shortage.

Taiz also experienced a complete Houthi siege between 2015 and 2016, during the early years of the war. The current siege began in the first week of October after Houthi advances in the countryside. It has obstructed roads and prevented scheduled deliveries of medicines, dialysis solutions, and fuel from reaching the city.

The result is a system operating with little reserve. The Republican Hospital has suspended some departments, bought expensive diesel on the black market, and shortened dialysis sessions. The WHO reported severe shortages at 42 facilities. If access remains blocked, the article warns that healthcare services could collapse and patients could lose lifesaving treatment.

Modern hospitals depend on several linked systems, not isolated supplies. Electricity or generator fuel powers dialysis machines, oxygen equipment, refrigeration, water pumps, lighting, and sanitation. Medical supplies then make those powered services clinically useful. A shortage in one area can therefore weaken many others.

Taiz shows this connection clearly. Diesel shortages threaten generators and oxygen production, while water pumping and sanitation also depend on fuel. Medical supplies are separately running low because the siege blocked deliveries. Ambulances need fuel to move patients and supplies. Refrigeration requires power to protect vaccines, and dialysis needs both machines and specialised solutions.

The practical effect is a chain reaction. A hospital may still have doctors and beds, but treatment can stop if equipment lacks power, oxygen is unavailable, water systems fail, or medicines do not arrive. The WHO warned that these combined shortages could disrupt lifesaving care and increase disease risks across Taiz.