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

Taiz, Yemen – It was approaching 10:30am in the dialysis centre of the Republican Hospital in Taiz when a machine began filtering excess fluids, toxins and salts from the blood of Omar Mukhtar Hammoud.The 16-year-old suffers from kidney failure and is one of 270 patients who regularly receive dialysis at the centre in the government-held city in southwest Yemen. But with essential medical supplies and fuel running critically low under the renewed Houthi siege, doctors fear they may soon be unable to provide the treatment that keeps their patients alive.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3European, Middle East ministers urge US-Iran diplomacy, not new attackslist 2 of 3US-Iran war, then and now: How the landscape has changed since Februarylist 3 of 3Saudi Arabia security puts Asian Cup in doubt: Japan football chiefend of listDr Essam Mahyoub Dahan, the centre’s director, warned that a complete shutdown could happen within days.“Because of the siege and the shortage of diesel and medical solutions, we have recently been forced to reduce dialysis sessions from four hours to just two and a half,” Dahan told Al Jazeera. “We know this is not adequate, but we have no choice if ...