MSF Yemen: Children in Al-Bayda still face severe malnutrition and limited access to care

Years of conflict, economic decline, displacement and weakened public services have deepened the nutrition crisis in Al-Bayda governorate. At the same time, limited humanitarian presence has reduced access to basic healthcare and nutrition services, leaving many families with few options when their children become sick.

For children with severe malnutrition and medical complications, access to inpatient care was especially limited. Families often had to travel long distances, pay transport costs they could not afford and navigate insecurity to reach treatment.

In response, MSF’s Mobile Emergency Team supported two inpatient therapeutic feeding centres at Al-Thawra Hospital and Rada’a Hospital, as well as eight outpatient therapeutic feeding centres across nine districts in Al-Bayda governorate. From 9 May to 3 October 2026, 1,043 patients were admitted to hospital. As the number of children arriving for care rose beyond expectations, inpatient capacity had to be increased from 48 to 80 beds.

Among the children admitted was four-month-old Abdulmalik, who arrived with complications linked to malnutrition. His family had travelled from Marib governorate, far from Al-Bayda, in search of treatment, as no free inpatient therapeutic feeding centre (ITFC) was available closer to home.

“Abdulmalik arrived in a very fragile condition,” says Dr Ali Al-Huthaifi, a medical doctor with MSF. “He was only four months old and was already suffering from complications related to malnutrition. When he arrived, he was severely dehydrated and struggling to breathe. His mother was extremely worried that he might die.”

Dr Ali Al-Huthaifi adds, “The family could not find a nearby hospital or medical facility that could save him, so his father, who is a farmer, had to sell one of his sheep to afford the transportation costs. This is what many families are facing: when services are too far away or unavailable, children arrive late and much sicker.”

His story reflects a wider pattern seen by MSF teams in Al-Bayda. Children are often brought for treatment only after their condition has become critical, because families have no nearby options for care or cannot afford the journey.

The emergency response helped restore access to lifesaving treatment for many children, but it was designed as a short-term response. The high number of admissions shows both the scale of the crisis and how few services were available before the response began.

“Al-Bayda is facing a severe nutrition crisis that is not getting enough attention,” says Ainur Absemetova, MSF head of mission in Yemen. “Our teams treated far more children than initially expected. This shows how urgent the needs are, but also the consequences of limited humanitarian presence in the governorate. Children need sustained access to free, timely and appropriate nutrition and medical care. A short-term emergency response alone cannot replace sustained support.”

Although the intervention ended as planned, children in Al-Bayda continue to need inpatient and outpatient nutrition care, along with basic healthcare services closer to their communities. Without continuity of care, many families will remain trapped between growing medical needs and too few safe, affordable options for treatment.

Iman Ahmed, MSF Project Medical Advisor

Audio Note:

Transcript:

Iman Ahmed - MSF Project Medical Advisor:

Addressing the malnutrition crisis in Al-Bayda requires looking at several major challenges. Severe food insecurity has worsened since food distribution was cut in 2024.

Years of conflict have forced struggling families to focus on daily survival rather than seeking medical care, which became less priority. Very few humanitarian organizations are working in the governorate, making it impossible for MSF to tackle this crisis through case management or medical treatment alone.

Since we started the intervention this year, we screened nearly 33,000 children under 5 years old across MSF supported areas. Nearly 10% or around 3,000 children were suffering from acute severe malnutrition. The situation was far worse than reported.

As soon as we launched our activities, particularly at Rada’a nutritional centre, the centre received around 50 cases in just three days.

For two full weeks, our bed occupancy stayed at maximum capacity with 50 to 60 cases at all times. Children and caregivers faced challenges in reaching care on time, hard to reach location, high transport costs. Families have to pay for expensive private rides that many simple cannot afford."