Yemeni Hospitals Struggle as Heatwave and Power Cuts Overwhelm Services

Hospitals in Yemen's southern city of Aden are buckling under the combined strain of a severe heatwave and chronic electricity shortages. Daytime temperatures have consistently exceeded 35 degrees Celsius, sending many residents to emergency rooms with heat-related illnesses, even as the facilities themselves struggle to keep the lights on and equipment running.

Power outages in some areas now last more than 18 hours a day, directly hampering medical services. At Al-Jumhouria Hospital, the kidney dialysis center is particularly vulnerable. Its director, Amani Majid, warned that without electricity, the unit would have to shut down entirely, leaving kidney failure patients without life-sustaining treatment and causing cases to pile up with no way to manage them.

Patients are feeling the impact at home as well. Saeeda Mahmoud, a patient at the hospital, described how a power cut at her residence led to a dangerous spike in her blood sugar, causing dizziness and a collapse that required hospitalization.

In response, the Yemeni government has begun installing dedicated power lines and providing supplementary power equipment to some of the larger public hospitals, hoping to keep critical services running despite the broader grid failures. The situation remains dire, with medical staff and patients alike dependent on these stopgap measures to survive the summer heat.