In partnership with the Yemeni Humanitarian Fund, the YDN intervened to restore the full functionality of Maswar Rural Hospital (MRH). The intervention is a part of the WaSH project at Milhan district – Mahweet governorate, Maswar and Houth districts – Amran governorate.
Maswar Rural Hospital before intervention
The Maswar Rural Hospital was neglected, lacking the equipment sufficient to provide healthcare services. The MRH had not been re-innovated in the past. It was virtually ceased. It was also short of specialist doctors as well as equipment, tools, laboratory, chemical solutions and medical supplies. The official working hours were limited to a couple of hours a day. The MRH needed medical support as most of its departments had been already closed and the resident doctors were no longer working there. The MRH did not contain a standard Operations Theatre (OT). The medicines were scarce and, if available, patients had to pay to receive some. The MRH was short of specialist surgeon and anesthesiologist.
The MRH was severely impacted by the shortage of cadre, medial equipment and supplies such that virtually ceased providing the necessary medical and healthcare services to the patients.
Located in the southwest of Amran governorate, Maswar district contains twelve sub-districts, and the district center is known as Bayt Authaqa. Maswar district has a population of 38432 people as per the 2004 census. The MRH is the only hospital which provided medical and healthcare services to the patients in Maswar districts and the neighboring districts.
Dr. Abdel Fattah Al-Qadi, the anesthesia specialist, says that he has been working in the hospital since 2012, and there have been several imbalances, the most serious of which are: the absence of the operations theater, lack of medical tools and drugs needed to treat pathological cases, and the shortage of specialized medical staff to treat the cases that need medical or surgical interventions. The hospital was also short of integrated laboratory that contains laboratory detection equipment. These imbalances hindered the functionalities of the hospital which became eventually became incapable of functioning properly. It was not possible to perform any type of surgery. Patients with critical cases usually ran the risk of losing their life as it was not possible to provide emergency surgical interventions such as appendiceal operations, infections of the spleen, prostate, ear, nose and throat, or treatment of emergency wounds resulting from accidents or gunfire. Consequently, there was a pressing need to rehabilitate the hospital.
Maswar Rural Hospital after intervention
In this intervention, the Yemeni Network for NGOs spared no effort to restore the full potential of the hospital so that it could provide health services in the required manner. The hospital has been equipped with a full-fledged operations theater which is now working in full functionality. The hospital has also been provided with a medical cadre specialized in surgery, anesthesia, pediatrics, internal medicine and nursing. Moreover, the laboratory was rehabilitated and equipped with equipment for general medical checkups, specialized medical checkups and laparoscopy unit.
The hospital received medical equipment for laboratory analyses and tests as well as medicines, chemical solutions and medical supplies. The hospital has also been supplied with quantities of medicines, medical supplies, antibiotics, first aid kits, as well as health kits for cholera patients.
Operations theatre
Before the intervention, the operation theatre was a dirty and dark place containing garbage and pieces of used or damaged furniture. The operation theatre lacked the necessary medical supplies and equipment. The Yemen Development Network (YDN) intervened to rehabilitate, restore and maintain the operation theatre so as to provide medical services and procedures for the patients who need emergency surgical intervention. The old and neglected operations theatre turned into a hygienic operation theatre with large capacity, easy cleaning, bright lighting and good ventilation. The new operation theatre is equipped with surgical overhead lights, projection screens, patient monitoring screens, temperature and humidity controls, oxygen ventilators, and anesthesia medicines and kits. The main equipment consists of the operating table and anesthesia cart. In addition, the operation theatre is now equipped with a set of tables for patient preparation tools and a storage space for common surgical supplies and containers for disposables. As part of the operation theatre, a dedicated area outside the operating room was built for hand washing and sterilizing by all the operating staff members including surgeons, surgical technicians, anesthesiologists, nurses, and pre-operative staff in the operations department.
The operations department is a distinguished department, as it also contains rooms dedicated to changing the department’s workers’ clothes, convalescence, patient preparation and reception before and after surgery, storage and cleaning facilities and some specialized devices such as ventilator, incubator for premature babies, sterilizers, and a counting and analyzing the blood count system (CBC), electrocardiograph and ultrasound system.
This intervention in the rehabilitation of the operating room is a major development in the hospital’s work and its services, which improved in quality. The MRH services were felt by patients during the past months, as this was directly reflected in the satisfaction’s rates of patients, health sector officials and the local authority in Amran Governorate. This success adds to the record of brilliant achievements of the YDN network in strengthen the health system in Maswar District significantly.
Impressions of the beneficiaries
The Director General of Maswar General Hospital, Dr. Abdullah Faisal Al-Araji, emphasized the necessity of concerted efforts to combat epidemics and diseases rampant in society. He also indicated the importance of these medicines in meeting the great need of patients. He praised the contributions of the YDN network and its humanitarian work to alleviate the suffering of citizens due to the spread of diseases, especially amid the conditions afflicting the country due to the protracted war and blockade.
For his part, the Director General of the Health Office in Amran governerate, Mr. Muhammad Al-Houthi referred to the YDN network’s activities in Maswar supporting the hospital with medical equipment and supplies, operating the operating room and radiology, as well as the laboratory and pharmacy, thanking the YDN network for its efforts and calling on it to continue its activities in support of the hospital and the strengthening of medical units. He explained that these medicines are donated in the context of the humanitarian projects and emergency response to patients in Amran and helping them in response to the humanitarian and social imperative and the broad calls to save the populations of the districts in need of medical assistance.
For his part, Dr. Al-Araji expressed the MRH’s thanks and gratitude to all the parties that contributed to the preparation and development of the hospital, represented by the Humanitarian Support Fund – the donor, and the Yemeni Development Network – the implementing agency, adding that the hospital administration will remain in contact with all parties in order to develop and improve the hospital services. He also stressed that the hospital, represented by its management and staff, will remain the watchful eye to follow up on the cleanliness of the hospital and the continuous restoration from the inside to maintain the hospital.
The patients expressed their satisfaction and happiness at the support provided to the hospital and the activation of the operations department, which they were deprived of for a long time. We thank everyone who contributed to this work, which is in the interest of all patients of the region.
