<
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/sep/23/death-by-aid-cuts-how-a-decision-in-the-us-led-to-the-loss-of-a-mother-in-yemen>
"When she woke on that Sunday morning, Fatima was part of a family preparing to
celebrate – she was due to give birth to her third child any day and her
brother was on his way home from Saudi Arabia to get married.
But by mid-afternoon, the family were instead preparing for a funeral – both
Fatima and her baby were dead.
The family say they do not follow international news, but Fatima’s death can be
directly traced back to decisions taken weeks earlier, thousands of miles away,
in Washington DC.
Fatima lived in the village of Dhubay’ah, in eastern Yemen’s al-Masilah
district. At the entrance to the village, where goats and camels wander freely,
rusting signs bear the logos of international organisations, evidence of
sporadic aid efforts in the area.
Women marry young – some in their early teens – and have large families.
According to the local health centre, there are now 56 pregnant women among the
village’s 171 households.
Becoming pregnant in Yemen can be risky. The country has a high maternal death
rate: one woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth every two hours, according to
the UN. About 118 women die from pregnancy-related causes for every 100,000
live births. In the UK, the figure is eight.
When Fatima’s labour pains began on 25 May, her parents took her to the nearby
al-Eis health clinic.
“I kept telling her, ‘you must be near the doctor, because if anything happens,
it’s better for it to happen there,’” recalls her mother. Fatima had already
needed a blood transfusion late in her pregnancy. “When we finally took her to
the doctor, everything was fine – she was even walking on her own.”
Fatima was seen by midwives, and then by Reem, the unit’s doctor.
“When she arrived, she was in pain but was responsive and communicative,” Reem
says. “The foetal heartbeat was stable and her vital signs were normal.”
By midday, Fatima’s cervix was fully dilated and she was moved to a delivery
bed. But something was wrong – the baby’s heartbeat was slowing and it had not
moved farther down the birth canal.
Fatima told staff: “I feel like I will not be able to give birth. I feel
abnormal and the heat is unbearable.”
Reem contacted the nearest hospital in Sayhut, a 10-minute drive away, because
it looked likely that a caesarean section would be needed. Al-Eis does not have
the facilities to deal with obstetric emergencies.
But the hospital in Sayhut said it could not accept her. The medical staff at
al-Eis cannot recall the reasons given but Fatima’s family say they were told
it was because there was not enough diesel to run the generator.
Sayhut’s emergency obstetric services had been reliant on funding from the US
government via the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which was abruptly cut by
President Donald Trump earlier this year.
The cuts left Sayhut hospital short of the medicines, fuel and the medical
personnel needed to treat emergencies.
Dr Saeed Mubarak, the hospital director, said in a statement to the
Guardian:
“UNFPA’s support for emergency obstetric services at Sayhut hospital had
stopped. We are unable to provide emergency obstetric care, nor surgical
services or caesarean operations during this period.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
