News – Yemen: The spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Environment, Dr. Anis al-Asbahi, warned that the continued closure of Sana’a International Airport and the restrictive measures imposed by the US-Saudi-Emirati aggression coalition have deprived thousands of patients of their right to receive treatment abroad.

Al-Asbahi said that many patients — especially those with chronic illnesses, cancer, and complex heart conditions — depended on travel to specialized medical centers outside Yemen, but the blockade has turned this right into a daily humanitarian ordeal.

The ministry continues to receive hundreds of appeals from families whose relatives’ conditions have worsened due to their inability to travel, stressing that these violations amount to a clear humanitarian crime for which the coalition bears full responsibility.

Health Minister Dr. Ali Shayban also affirmed that the shutdown of Sana’a Airport — previously targeted by the Israeli enemy — has caused severe shortages in essential medicines, including kidney-transplant medications, blood derivatives, and drugs requiring special transport conditions. He urged the United Nations and international organizations to stop ignoring the catastrophic impact of the blockade, which has claimed thousands of lives.

Officials in Sana’a emphasized that, despite efforts to expand local treatment options, many critical cases still require travel abroad, making the unrestricted reopening of Sana’a Airport an urgent humanitarian necessity.

The closure of Sana’a International Airport has been a central component of the aggression coalition’s blockade on Yemen, severely limiting medical evacuations and humanitarian access. Rights groups and international agencies have repeatedly warned that the airport shutdown has exacerbated Yemen’s health crisis, leaving thousands of critically ill patients without lifesaving treatment.