Over 35,000 malnourished children treated in MSF-supported facilities from 2022 to 2024
Aisha sits by a bed in Al Salam hospital in Khamir district of Amran governorate, Yemen. She has come to seek lifesaving care for her five-month-old daughter, Zahra’a. At the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)-supported facility, staff are monitoring the child’s temperature, carrying out tests and providing her with oxygen and milk.
“I travelled more than two hours, spending 15,000 Yemeni riyals [approximately $61 US] to reach here.” says Aisha. “We’re living in dire conditions, with little money for our daily needs, and the nearest health centres don’t have specialized departments to treat malnutrition. A doctor nearby where I live finally referred us here.”
Before arriving, her daughter suffered from fever and was frequently crying due to pain in her ears. “I tried breastfeeding and powder milk, but nothing helped,” she says. “We have one breadwinner in our family of 12 and he can’t cover all our expenses. My daughter is still tired and her weight hasn’t changed so far. I am afraid to lose her, she is the only girl in the family. I hope she recovers soon and I hope more organizations will come here to support people, especially those who do not have enough food or income.”
Malnutrition cases soar across Yemen
Unfortunately, Aisha’s story is far from unique in Yemen. It is a rapidly growing crisis, where the needs are far outstripping the existing treatment capacity. Last September during the annual peak malnutrition season, bed occupancy rates in MSF-supported facilities reached extremely high levels in most facilities. In Al-Salam hospital—designed for 23 to 51 beds—bed occupancy rate soared to 254 per cent the same month, indicating extreme overcapacity. Staff are often forced to provide care for patients in crowded hallways and makeshift spaces. This dramatic rise in malnutrition is consistent with what our teams have seen over the past three years. Between January 2022 and December 2024, MSF-supported facilities in five governorates—Amran, Saada, Hajjah, Taiz, and Al Hudaydah—treated 35,442 malnourished children under the age of five. While these numbers do not encompass all of Yemen, they show the daily struggles families face when access to healthcare and adequate food is severely restricted.
Yemen has been engulfed in conflict, instability and prolonged fighting for nearly 10 years, pushing the healthcare system to the brink of collapse. According to the World Health Organization, as of April 2024, nearly 46 per cent of health facilities in Yemen were partially functional or completely out of service. Delayed referrals and a lack of access to general healthcare leave families no choice but to seek help when it is almost too late. Families struggle to keep up with follow-up care because they lack food assistance or face excessive difficulties in accessing routine healthcare and immunizations. As a result, even after being discharged from a healthcare facility many patients relapse. This intensifies their health risks and leaves them even more vulnerable. Low vaccination rates also increase susceptibility to preventable diseases such as measles, cholera and acute watery diarrhea, leaving children even more vulnerable to malnutrition.
Many families not only face overwhelming healthcare expenses but also struggle to afford proper meals. A woman whose one-year-old son has been admitted at the MSF-supported facility in Ad-Dahi hospital in Al Hudaydah governorate says, “My husband can’t work because of his physical disability. I try to earn money but it is never enough. Providing decent meals is a struggle and we only have meat twice a year—during Eid, when other people share it with us. That’s the only time we taste meat all year.” In 2023 and 2024, over 10,000 children received treatment at this facility.
Scale-up of healthcare across Yemen vital to curb malnutrition
In 2024, the Abs hospital in Hajjah governorate which has a capacity to expand upto 120 beds during peak malnutrition season, recorded bed occupancy rates for malnutrition as high as 200 per cent in September and 176 per cent in October—its highest levels in six years. At the inpatient therapeutic feeding centre (ITFC) in the hospital, Asia is seeking medical care for malnutrition for her one year and three months old daughter Ayana Ali. Ayana was admitted with moderate malnutrition and complications which are exacerbating her condition.
“She arrived a few days ago and was having acute watery diarrhea and high temperature,” says an MSF nurse at the Abs general hospital. “She was admitted and is under treatment. Ayana is recovering and getting better day by day.”
Ayana is Asia’s only daughter and Asia is deeply attached to her, fearing she might lose her. In order to afford the journey to for her daughter’s treatment, Asia sold some of her household items. The treatment was recommended by neighbours whose child had been successfully treated at the facility.
MSF has been actively responding to malnutrition in Yemen since 2010 by operating ITFCs in collaboration with health authorities in five governorates—Amran, Saada, Hajjah, Taiz and Al Hudaydah. These centres provide specialized treatment for children under five suffering from severe and moderate malnutrition with complications. Our teams partner with local health authorities to train staff, strengthen referral pathways and support early detection of malnutrition at the community level.
MSF’s admission records show most malnutrition cases are children under five, with infants under six months especially at risk. Pregnant and breastfeeding women also make up a large share of cases, as many arrive with moderate or severe malnutrition. As a result, they also struggle to feed their children.
“Many mothers can’t even produce the milk to feed their children because they are malnourished themselves,” says an MSF nurse at the ITFC in Ad-Dahi hospital in Al Hudaydah. “Whenever a mother cannot produce her own milk she replaces it with cow’s milk and dilutes it. This is contributing to malnutrition in their babies.
In view of the sudden and drastic reductions in humanitarian funding to Yemen, sustained donor engagement and flexible funding from major donors—is crucial to address Yemen’s escalating humanitarian crisis. Adequate and consistent funding, along with stronger partnerships between the Ministry of Health, donors and implementing partners, will help revive healthcare centres and ensure they effectively serve local communities and the most affected locations. MSF urges these stakeholders to expand community-based vaccination efforts in order to curb preventable diseases like measles, cholera and acute watery diarrhea.
There is also a need for urgent improvements in targeted food distribution programs. Efforts like these will ensure pregnant and lactating women as well as children under five receive the nutrition they need before their health is threatened. Without swift collective action, the most vulnerable people in Yemen people will suffer under an overburdened health system and rising malnutrition rates.
