As COVID-19 spreads through Yemen, fear of the virus is preventing people from seeking medical care. In the new COVID-19 treatment center at Sheikh Zayed hospital in the Yemeni capital Sana’a, which Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) recently started supporting, only half of the 20 beds reserved for patients with moderate COVID-19 symptoms are currently occupied.
According to MSF staff, many people regard hospitals as a source of infection, while some believe sinister rumors about what happens in hospitals for patients with symptoms of COVID-19. Others are fearful of being stigmatized by their communities if they test positive for the disease.
“We are seeing first-hand the detrimental impact of misinformation that is being circulated all over the country, augmenting fear of the virus in society,” said MSF’s Dr. Abdulrahman, who works in Sheikh Zayed hospital. “Hospitals are safe places for patients, and the earlier that patients come to hospital, the better the chances we have to treat their symptoms.”
Fear and stigma
Many patients arriving at Sheikh Zayed hospital’s emergency room are in a critical condition and need immediate breathing support. All six beds are occupied in the intensive care unit, where patients in severe respiratory distress receive around-the-clock care, dependent on oxygen cylinders that need to be changed every three hours.
“We are concerned over what we see in the hospital, but an even greater concern is the patients we don’t see: Those who choose not to seek medical treatment until their condition deteriorates considerably,” said Caroline Ducarme, MSF head of mission in Yemen.
Like a number of other hospitals in the country, Sheikh Zayed was designated by health authorities as a COVID-19 treatment center and shifted from providing maternity services and trauma care to tackling a pandemic that has challenged some of the world’s best-resourced health systems.
Yemen has very limited testing capabilities for COVID-19, so the virus is spreading across the country untraced. Years of war had pushed the country’s health system to the brink before the pandemic. Now it appears that people have lost trust in hospitals and health staff.
