Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson: No new date or venue has been set for the meeting between Araghchi and Witkoff, and no negotiations will take place until the outcome is guaranteed
Palestinian platforms: Settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque complex under the protection of the occupation police
Palestinian platforms: The IOF detonated a booby-trapped robot east of the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City
Syrian Defense: We call on all parties in Sweida to cooperate with security forces and exercise restraint
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese Army is continuing its investigations and will later announce any information that does not affect the confidentiality of the investigation
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: It has not yet been determined whether the detainees belong to ISIS or another organization
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Around 10 people of different nationalities, including Lebanese nationals, were detained
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese army arrested a number of people in the Matn area of Mount Lebanon with possession it has not disclosed
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: We have strong indications that there are martyrs, injuries, and trapped people in the Salah al-Din area
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Citizens should avoid Salah al-Din Street because anyone who approaches it is at risk of being directly targeted

US-Saudi aggression responsible for death of children with leukemia

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 20 Oct 2022 12:27
3 Min Read

Yemeni officials hold the Saudi-led coalition's blockade of Yemen responsible for the tragic death of over 18 children injected with expired cancer medicine.

  • x
  • The children were receiving treatment for leukemia at a hospital under Saudi blockade . (AFP)
    The children were receiving treatment for leukemia at a hospital under a Saudi blockade. (AFP)

At least 10 children with leukemia passed away in a hospital in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa last Friday after they were injected with contaminated cancer medicine smuggled from abroad.

Commenting on this tragedy, the head of the Salvation Government in Sanaa, Abdulaziz bin Habtoor, described the deaths of the children as a national disaster, holding the US-Saudi aggression responsible.

“Laboratory tests showed the presence of high-risk bacterial contamination in the batch of medicine given to children with leukemia, and investigations are being followed up by the highest levels in the country,” Health Minister Taha Al-Mutawakel said.

He stated that the Ministry of Health sent memos to the UN Assistant Secretary-General and the World Health Organization's representative, urging them to send a number of medical supplies that are currently unavailable in the country for the treatment of leukemia.

Dr. Anis Al-Asbahi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, has also blamed the US-Saudi aggression for the deterioration of the Yemeni people's health as a result of the blockade and restrictions on the entry of medicines and medical supplies.

Related News

Biden diagnosed with 'aggressive' prostate cancer

Senate report reveals Trump slashed cancer research by 31%

"The disaster that claimed the lives of children in Kuwait Hospital is a result of the blockade and the failure to open Sana'a International Airport as required," he said.

"The cause of the disaster in Kuwait Hospital was a contaminated batch that was smuggled after the stocks of oncological medicine were depleted from the warehouses of the Ministry of Health and the National Center for Oncology," he stressed.

It is worth noting that the Sanaa government's Health Ministry announced in a statement last Friday that 19 children in the Kuwait Hospital in Sanaa being treated for leukemia, and with ages ranging between 3 to 15, suffered from complications after they were given medicine that had been smuggled to a privately-owned pharmacy.

According to an official medical source in Sanaa, the drug was past its expiration date, and the children passed away right after being injected. The source also noted that the number could be higher than the one stated by authorities, as there are 50 children in that same ward.

Cancer patients have doubled

Earlier this year, the Sanaa government's Health Minister, Taha Al-Mutawakel, said Yemen's number of cancer patients has doubled as a result of aggressive attacks and the Saudi-led siege on the country. 

He explained that more than 60,000 cases of cancer are diagnosed in oncology centers, with a lack of medicine and equipment and the increase in children with leukemia described as alarming.

More than 3,000 children in Yemen are at risk of death due to the blockade and more than 2,000 children with diseases are deprived of necessary care.

  • Saudi-led coalition
  • Yemeni Crisis
  • Yemen
  • war on Yemen
  • Yemen blockade
  • Cancer

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS