Sanaa (AFP)

Sitting near his wife's grave, Mouchir recalls how three hospitals in Sana'a refused to treat her despite her advanced pregnancy for fear that she might be a carrier of the coronavirus because she suffered from breathing difficulties.

Belkis died at the age of 31 in a fourth hospital in the capital held by Houthi rebels, in a country devastated by more than six years of war.

She left behind her husband and a toddler son.

But in this establishment, "the obstetrician and the anesthesiologist refused to perform an operation that could have saved the mother and the baby for fear that she might be infected with the coronavirus," Mouchir Farhan told AFP.

Nine months pregnant, she "just needed some quick assistance to help her breathe and save her and our baby," said the 35-year-old security company employee.

The fate of Belkis tragically illustrates the fears related to this disease, including among doctors, in this city.

In addition to the lack of training to treat patients suffering from Covid-19, hospitals lack essential equipment, especially oxygen, and often suffer from power cuts.

The rebels, backed by Iran, seized the capital in 2014 and control much of the north of the country.

They are not communicating about the pandemic.

But deaths from Covid-19 have become a hot topic in Sana'a as other parts of the country, notably the south - under government control supported by a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia - are on the rise. cases.

- "No number, no communication" -

According to Mouchir, his wife - whose test was negative for Covid-19 - died because medical staff were slow to take care of her.

It was too late when she reached the fourth hospital.

“She walked into the examination room, I went to buy some medicine and came back to find her lifeless,” he recalls.

The pandemic has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, where the conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, according to NGOs, displaced millions and pushed much of the population to the brink of famine.

More than two-thirds of the 30 million people depend on international aid, Yemen's economy has collapsed and its infrastructure has been largely destroyed.

The country is experiencing the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world today, according to the UN.

Sana'a, with its bustling markets and mosques crowded with worshipers during the month of Ramadan, does not observe any health measures and the wearing of a mask is very rare.

"There are no official figures, no official communication. And the test results are not published," an aid worker told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Houthi health authorities did not respond to AFP's requests.

- "Rumors and stigma" -

According to the humanitarian source, an upsurge in cases has been observed in the capital since mid-March despite "the low screening capacity".

"Public hospitals are close to saturation. In private clinics, the situation is not clear," she said, adding that many patients are trying to seek treatment "at home".

“People are often reluctant to go to the hospital when they have symptoms like Covid-19, for fear of being stigmatized. Sometimes they don't believe they will be treated. They are afraid because of the rumors and don't don't trust the medical system, ”she adds.

Yemen has recorded more than 6,000 cases, including 1,175 deaths, but the reality is probably much higher.

In March, it received a first shipment of anti-coronavirus vaccines through Covax, an international public-private program aimed at ensuring equitable access to vaccines.

Some 360,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have arrived in the southern port city of Aden, where the government is tentatively based.

According to Ishraq al-Sibaï, spokesperson for Yemen's national committee for the fight against Covid-19, 10,000 doses have been delivered to the World Health Organization for areas held by the rebels.

"They may use it to vaccinate Houthi officials rather than medical staff," she told AFP.

© 2021 AFP