Chairwoman Speech Prof. Balqis Mohamed Jabari at the Advocacy Meeting

 

In The Name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful

Brothers, sisters, representatives of national and international organizations that work in the field of psychological and social response.

 

Peace, mercy and blessings of God

 

I would like to thank you for coming and accepting our invitation today to participate in the advocacy activities under the heading (Together we work to alleviate the psychological pain) to support the psychological and social response to those affected by the war in our dear country Yemen. Those who are affected by this war are growing and growing increasingly. People living in dire psychological conditions as a result of the total siege imposed on our country and the continuous shelling and destruction of Yemeni towns and villages, poverty and disease, hunger, unemployment, deprivation and homelessness.

 

The Yemeni people, in brief words that summarize the painful and shocking truth, are going through a bitter struggle for survival which gives rise to tremendous and unprecedented psychological pressure. Psychological pain, sadness, distress, anxiety. Violent psychological trauma has left no individual or group, but have had an impact on them. We are in the institution of family development and guidance and within the means available we have the battle to address these social and psychological disorders that threaten the security, safety and stability of the individual, family and society.

 

 

Today, the reports of the international organizations especially the United Nations organizations working in Yemen, echo the dramatic human suffering in our country, which is unparalleled today on this planet marked "civilized" and reveals the enormity of the humanitarian and health situation in Yemen, and calls on the countries of the world need to respond to the health and psychological of this people And the rapid provision of emergency mental health services to millions of Yemenis affected. The United Nations has declared on many occasions that the humanitarian and health disaster in Yemen is the greatest disaster on earth in the 21st century.

We are in the Family Counseling Development Foundation - as a non-profit NGO - and in response to the suffering of our suffering people. In parallel with these international appeals, we organize solidarity with representatives of various national and international organizations and bodies, including community and religious leaders, businessmen, and decision-makers. To address the acute shortage of specialized mental health resources, needs and services. Here, let me cite some examples of this vast gap between resources and needs. 

According to international organizations, 21 million Yemenis today are in urgent need of immediate food assistance, more than 7 million are starving, 3 million are children are suffering famine and underweight, 3 million are out of school and 3 million are displaced from their homes and country. The list of suffering is long. In contrast, the number of psychiatrists in Yemen is not more than 46, which means that there is only one psychiatrist per 600 thousand people, and the number of therapists and psychologists, does not exceed 130 psychologists in all parts of Yemen at a rate of one processor per 215 thousand people and mental nurses are not more than 25 psychiatric nurses.

 

Yemen is also suffering from a severe shortage of mental health facilities, which are only clinics in public and private hospitals, which do not exceed 13 public health facilities and 35 private facilities (mainly psychiatric clinics), mostly concentrated in the capital Sana'a. If we know that two thirds of the health facilities operating in Yemen have been destroyed and bombed and are out of service today, we can see the size of the large deficit between resources and needs to meet the requirements of psychological treatment in Yemen. If we add to this the shortage of equipment, supplies, medicines and supplies related to the provision of mental health services, the picture seems very dark and frustrating.

 

Mental health services are concentrated in only five governorates: Sana'a, Aden, Hodeidah, Taiz and Mukalla. There are simple services in Ibb and Dhamar. The rest of the governorates do not any psychological health services at all. This makes a small number of psychiatric patients suffer, in addition to their illness, move to another province for treatment.

The repercussions of this war and its devastating psychological effects on a wide geographical area almost include all the lands and governorates of the Republic of Yemen and affected by a large number of the population of Yemen and to varying degrees, which requires us to stand together in solidarity to treat the victims of individuals, families and groups. It is regrettable that regional and international organizations operating in Yemen are paying little attention to the increasing number of psychiatric patients, who are not only affecting themselves but also their family and social environment.

 

From this rostrum, I call on international and regional organizations, especially United Nations organizations, to pay attention to mental disorders and include this component in their relief programs. The scale of mental disorders has reached a frightening level that threatens the security and safety of the individual, the family and society as a whole and threatens the future of peace and social reconciliation in Yemen. The problem of suicide, addiction, murder, looting, rape, violence in all its forms of society and family, and issues of intolerance and extremism have become frequent and common phenomena that have never been the same in Yemen.

The intense pressure on our services over the past two years is a clear indication that the pressures and mental disorders have doubled, giving us a clear indication that the numbers of people in need of treatment and guidance have increased immeasurably.

 

In conclusion, allow me first to thank you for your presence and your kind response to our invitation. I would also like to thank the Foundation team for their generosity and diligence, who work day and night tirelessly in providing this necessary service and thanks to all members of the administrators and technicians these who are organizing and facilitating the tasks of our leading institution in providing this service. I also thank all institutions specialized in the field of treatment and psychological counseling and their employees who do their utmost to provide their assistance and services to the needy citizens of the Republic of Yemen. I also thank all the regional and international organizations that provide financial and technical assistance and support to institutions working in the field of treatment and psychological counseling and family.

Here, allow me to extend my thanks and gratitude to the Dutch Government, which has been supporting our organization in its efforts to provide psychotherapy and counseling to thousands of psychopaths throughout Yemen over the past few years. With its continued support, we have reached tens of thousands of patients and provided them with a treatment and counseling service at the right time and place. We would also like to thank the Ministry of Communications and all Yemeni telecommunications companies, Yemen Mobile, Saba Phone, MTN and Y for all their continuous support to our organization in accomplishing this important humanitarian mission.

 

I thank you for your generous attendance, attention, attention and hands with all the gratitude and appreciation extended to all those who wish to work with us or to support us in this important and urgent task that will alleviate the suffering and pain of millions of Yemenis and peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.

 

Chairperson

Prof. Bilqis Mohammed Jabari

Dated August 5, 2017