“This support will increase the quality of services and expand the capacity of the operating theater. As a referral hospital, this support will make a huge difference.” — Dr. Majeed Atef, Manager of Ibn Khaldoun Hospital
Following the 2015 conflict in Yemen, many lives were put at risk due to damaged and outdated medical equipment in Ibn Khaldoun Hospital, located in the Lahj Governorate. To address this lack of vital supplies, the USAID Systems, Health and Resiliency Project provided a host of new medical equipment to enhance the hospital’s ability to provide quality health services to over 1 million patients. For maternal, newborn and emergency care, updated medical equipment is crucial for the safety of patients and health workers alike and increases the hospital's ability to provide high-quality medical care to Yemen’s local population.
Ibn Khaldoun Hospital is the only health facility in Yemen’s Lahj Governorate that provides referral services for emergency and complicated cases, including maternal and newborn care. The facility serves over 1 million people in 19 surrounding districts, including over 200,000 women of reproductive age, which is far beyond its original capacity.
The Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care operating theater is the busiest section of the hospital. Between February and April, this section conducted around 350 surgeries, including emergency cesareans and obstetric interventions. The section often manages two or more cases simultaneously with limited equipment.
This section of the hospital was also the most affected during the armed conflict in 2015, with essential medical equipment getting damaged, while other equipment has become outdated or has limited functionality. These shortcomings endangered the lives of mothers and their newborns during surgeries. With an increasing number of women needing emergency services, it was important for the hospital to maintain high standards for infection prevention and ensure the safety of the patients. To do so, there was an urgent need for basic medical equipment to support effective health services.
As part of its quality improvement interventions, the USAID Systems, Health and Resiliency Project (USAID SHARP) conducted an assessment to identify the essential medical equipment required for quality health services. The assessment showed a lack of vital supplies and equipment, and in May 2023, USAID provided the hospital with a cesarean set, a hysterectomy set, 1,000 endotracheal tubes, two anesthesia machines, a defibrillator, and new operation ceiling lights.
Dr. Majeed Atef, the manager of Ibn Khaldoun Hospital, noted that, “This support will increase the quality of services and expand the capacity of the operating theater. As a referral hospital, this support will make a huge difference.”
Providing updated medical equipment is crucial for the safety of patients and health workers alike and increases the hospital's ability to provide high-quality medical care to Yemen’s local population. It will also help to improve health outcomes for mothers with complicated births, reducing morbidity and mortality rates among both mothers and newborns.
USAID/SHARP
USAID/SHARP
USAID/SHARP
