Yemen: Houthi militia involved in killing more than 18 children with cancer in Sana’a
Urgent call by Yemeni government officials and human rights institutions to hold an international investigation into a humanitarian catastrophe, which was the death of 18 children suffering from leukemia after they were injected with expired medicines in Sana’a hospital – controlled by the Houthi militia.
Human rights activists believe that such a humanitarian catastrophe should not pass unnoticed, especially with the news circulating that the leaders of the Houthi group intentionally issued orders to get rid of children suffering from dangerous diseases to ease the burden on hospitals so that it would be available to their fighters and families.
Broad condemnation
Health workers at Kuwait University Hospital provided doses of methotrexate chemotherapy to about 50 children with cancer in late September; killing at least 18 and sending others to intensive care units, despite complaints from families of children. Houthi health officials tried to cover up the case until earlier this month when local media reported that pediatric cancer patients had died in a hospital in Sanaa, English-language Arab News International reported. Many Yemenis have blamed the Houthis for dealing with expired and smuggled drugs. Rights and Freedoms organizations, the American Center for Justice and Bridges in Yemen, issued a joint statement calling on international aid agencies in Yemen to investigate the case.
The involvement of Houthi officials
Hussam al-Yafai, head of Yemen Bridges, says the Houthi militia is not trustworthy in how it manages this health situation, especially after press leaks revealed that the group sells medical aid such as medicines and supplies on the black market, and stores medicines to be destroyed, adding that the Houthi health authorities ignored the investigation’s demands and refused to issue death certificates.
“We were told to take him back to the hospital immediately because he was injected with an expired dose or something,” said Faisal al-Khawlani, who lost one of his family’s children in the hospital after he took the usual chemotherapy on September 24. The 12-year-old complained of severe pain and developed symptoms of poisoning. He was immediately transferred to receive care to no avail. Al-Khawlani said: “We were told to take him back to the hospital immediately because he was injected with an expired dose or something, and the child was taken to Palestine Hospital in Sanaa in the middle of the night and he died hours later, we are powerless, we cannot file any complaints against anyone”.
When the case was made public, the Houthis refused to take responsibility, as senior militia leaders appear to be involved and are now seeking to use junior officials as scapegoats before closing the file, the paper reported.
“The Houthis will surely close the investigation because the smuggling of expired medicines is linked to companies owned by Houthi officials,” an informed security source said.
