The Center for Family Health in the Old Town of Sanaa Planning for The Future [Archives:2000/48/Health]

The Center for Mother and Child Health in the Old town has been serving mothers and children over many decades. After the old and congested premises at the Suq al-Bakr had to be demolished, it moved to a large rented building close to the Bab Al-Sabah. Every day it looks after between 180 and 200 mothers and children coming for care and advice. This high number shows the great confidence the local community has in the dedicated work of the 25 staff working in the center. Services comprise antenatal care, vaccinations, and curative services for children.
The Center will enter a new phase of its development when it moves after Ramdhan into a new building. The new building has been constructed in the center of the old town in beautiful Sanaani style under the supervision of the Commission for the Preservation of Historic Cities in the Republic of Yemen. The new building has been financed mainly by the German Bank of Reconstruction and development but the local community has made considerable contributions.
The Center will offer services on the 3rd floor under the new name of Al-Zubairy Center for Family Health. It will serve the 80,000 people living in the old town and all those who will be attracted from outside. Already the new name reflects that services are planned to be even more comprehensive than before. The facility will in future also cover deliveries. It will have 25 beds for patients with complications, a re-organized referral system will assure that a patient who develops dangerous complications can be transferred within few minutes for care on higher levels, the whole family will find basic medical care, and also a person can use the advisory service for family planning.
The details of the role of the new Center, its objectives, necessary activities, equipment and staffing were planned on a planning workshop from 20 to 22 11 2000 in the Multifunctional Center of the Old Town. The team of the center, comprising specialists from the Ministry of Public Health, as well as leaders and members of the community in the old town participated in this workshop in order to create a spirit of ownership and cooperation.
The workshop was organized by the Health Office of the Capital in cooperation with the Yemeni-German Health Sector Program. The German Government has been supporting the Center of Mother and Child Health since its early days in Suq Al-Bakr. Also other donors have shown their interest to join the Ministry of Health in its efforts to establish an Urban Center of Family Health which will be a model for the whole country.

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