Foreign Health NGOs, Well Done ! [Archives:2000/45/Health]

A good number of non-governmental health organizations, local and foreign, are working in many areas in Yemen. Foreign health organizations have been able in a short time to attract large sectors of people for the good quality and low prices for the services they offer.
However, such activities of those organizations have been sometimes questioned. Why do they burden themselves with such troubles and difficulties? Why in Yemen? Are they really humanitarian?
Dr. Fawzia Jaafar, representative of Mary Stops Organization in Yemen highlighted the background of the organization as a non-profit making, non-governmental, political or religious organization.
Including Yemen, Mary stops operates in more than 30 countries offering services to more than 2 million people. It concentrates on more needy countries such as Arab and African countries. In Yemen it works in coordination with ministries of Health and Planning and its activities are confined to childhood, marital and family planning. The organization is provided with a drug store, laboratory and all the staff are women.
We began in Sanaa in 1998 and in 1999 we opened an office in Sayon. We are planing to expand our activities to include Aden and Taiz, said Fawzia..
Mary Stops services are under British supervision. The organization is supported by the Mother Organization in Britain, the British Council here and donations through the EU in addition to reasonable fees requested for some services. Support for projects is lifted when the organization feels that those projects are no longer in need of support.
Among the priorities of Mary Stops is raising peoples awareness about health protection. Yemenis visit hospitals when they are sick unaware of the fact that prevention is better than cure, Fawzia added.
Amnah -Adela is another organization working in Yemen in the health sector. It was established in 1997. In the same year a group of 12 children were sent through the organization to Italy for treatment.
The organization offers services related to cardiac and leukemia diseases. So far 164 cases have been transferred to Italy through the organization.
We have also started receiving other cases related to kidneys, medulla transplantation and prostate, said Dr. Mohammed Raweh, director. Recently Amnah – Adela signed contracts with Swiss hospitals in Geneva and some cases have been sent there. Presently, a group of 20 children is ready to travel while another group of 32 children is awaiting a final decision. All sick children to travel must provide a medical report from the Supreme Committee for Medical Decisions.
Despite the valuable services the organization provides, still it faces a number of problems mainly with the Ministry of Health. So far there has been no budget for the organization although regular reports are presented to the Ministry. There have been clear orders from the Minister of Health to issue travel fees for companions of children but no response by the finance department has been noticed. Oddly enough, the ministers orders are refused by the director of his office or the director of finance. Such irresponsible behavior puts us in embarrassing situations. The host hospital was annoyed and threatened stopping receiving children when the latest group of children to travel to Italy was delayed waiting for the Ministry decision, said Dr. Raweh.
The Italian Embassy which used to facilitate many things for us has changed all that with a complicated routine. If a sick child is late for obtaining his/her due visa it is canceled and new fees are imposed to obtain another visa even if the delay was caused by the Ministry, not the patient, he added.
Oxfam is one of the old organizations working in Yemen. It was established in the 1980s with many social and health activities. Director of the organization talked to us and said: Oxfam is a British charity with its headquarters in Oxford, UK. Oxfam (GB) started its operations in Yemen in 1983 soon after the earthquake in Dhamar. Oxfams mandate is to work with others to overcome poverty and suffering. The reason it chooses to work in Yemen is that this country is one of the least developed in the world with high poverty levels, which are on the rise. Yemen is different from the rest of the middle east countries in which Oxfam has been operating. The health program Oxfam aims at ensuring equitable and quality health care provisions especially for poor women and men. The program adopts different approaches which include research, capacity building, lobbying and advocacy, technical and development support at national and local levels.
The program on womens development is to promote womens participation and empowerment in social and economic process, especially for the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of poor women.
Oxfams partners are the Ministry of Public Health, local NGOs and CBOs, women Associations, Academic and research organizations.
Oxfam has good relations with ministry of planning which is the nodal ministry through which we operate. Projects supported by Oxfam require the approval of the ministry.
Oxfam has close working relations with the Ministry of Public Health, especially in relation to the health sector reform. It attempts to work within the health system rather than take a project approach.
Oxfam is working on policy issues related to cost sharing and public finance of health care to cover the poor and vulnerable groups.
Oxfam is responsible for monitoring the program it supports. Greater attention is being paid to issues of maximizing impact and sustainability.
Oxfam works within its policy and strategy framework.
Beyond that it is flexible and responsive in its approach to meet the local needs.
Oxfam has started up a lot of new initiatives that need to be consolidated in areas mentioned above. Special attention is being paid to issues of quality and impact of the programs we support on the lives of poor and vulnerable groups.
Capacity is an issue that needs enhancement both in the NGO sector as well as within the government for implementation of programs.
Main funding sources of Oxfam are the British Public, and donor institutions.
Yemen offers unique opportunities as well as challenges-the most compelling challenge being for different institutions to work together to alleviate Yemens poverty.

It was urgently needed to head for the Ministry of Public Health, particularly the International Relations Department to know more. unfortunately, the general manager was abroad. However, we met one of the staff who said that such organizations worked in Yemen according to bilateral agreements signed between our country and other friendly countries. Others came to Yemen through the Ministries of Health and Planning.
We have agreements with those organizations identifying their activities and our commitments towards them. Organizations that send the sick abroad for treatment have direct relation with the Minister, he added.
In our visit to the Ministry office we found that the companion of sick people to Italian hospitals was the Ministers secretary who said she would travel in the coming days with a new group after she received travel allowance. At the same time we met a number of parents whose children were about to travel. They were complaining about the routine of the ministry. One of the fathers who requested anonymity told us that he spent a long time to make his sick child travel although he had finalized all needed procedures. I have paid YRs 80,000 to facilitate my childs travel (he showed a receipt of 80,000. The receipt was unofficial and not sealed.)
The rest of parents complained about the same routine and delay of their childrens travel. Others said they had been blackmailed by some members in Amnah and Adela Organization under pretext of facilitating travel procedures. Such information made us again go back to the ministers office to make sure of credibility of such claims. Again we met the secretary who confirmed credibility of what parents had said. One of the staff there exploited absence of the director of the organization and asked patients for a lot of money to help them travel, she said. Now he is in the central prison, she added.
Those who try save peoples lives and draw a smile on the lips of the sick deserve all appreciation and thanks. It could have been better if the Ministry of Health facilitates work of such organizations since it is unable to carry out its duty as treatment institution, let alone its failure in supervising medical institutions which to blackmail people.

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