Yemen: MSF medical supplies and team reach Aden, but more needed

The first boat organized by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in response to the  ongoing crisis in Yemen — carrying 1.7 tonnes of urgently needed medical supplies for the MSF hospital in Aden — successfully docked in the city today. An MSF emergency surgical team also arrived on a separate boat.

The MSF shipment, which arrived from Djibouti, contained medical supplies essential for treating the large numbers of wounded MSF has been receiving in Aden, including anesthesia drugs, injectable medications and materials for surgical operations.

The emergency surgical team, made up of five MSF staff, arrived in Aden on board an International Committee of the Red Cross cargo ship. The team will provide much-needed support to the existing staff at the MSF Emergency Surgical Unit.

“We are pleased that the medical supplies and staff have arrived safely, as the team at the hospital was exhausted, and there was a real risk of supply shortages,” said Marie-Elisabeth Ingres, MSF’s head of mission in Yemen. “But with the violence continuing to cause large numbers of injured, more supplies and medical staff are needed.”

MSF is also planning to send a full charter plane to Sana’a to deliver more medical supplies in the coming days.

The MSF Emergency Surgical Unit in Aden has received over 600 wounded since the escalation of violence on March 19.

• Learn more about MSF's response to the crisis in Yemen