Brain drain leaves Yemen’s health sector in tatters and millions helpless

Published 4 July 2026 · health

Yemen’s health professionals have been leaving the country in search of higher income and a safer working environment, with foreign doctors making up part of

Yemen’s health professionals have been leaving the country in search of higher income and a safer working environment, with foreign doctors making up part of the shortage. Taiz, Yemen – Ahmed Nagi, a Yemeni man in his 50s, had worked for more than 30 years as a porter in al-Turbah market in Taiz governorate before disaster struck. By helping shoppers carry goods from stalls to their cars, he earned enough money to provide a decent living for his family of seven. But all this all changed two years ago, when he was stuck down with liver complications, leaving him unable to continue his work. Now, Nagi can hardly move without the aid of a walking stick, which he relies on whenever he leaves the house. Being out of work, he also cannot afford to pay for the medicine he should be taking to treat his condition. “I was told by doctors, who are not liver specialists, that my liver isn’t functioning properly, but they weren’t sure if that is the root problem. It has left me barely able to walk, and sometimes I can’t move at all,” Nagi told Al Jazeera English. “Generous people provided me with medicine for a few months, but I didn’t recover, and my health is worsening every day,” he said. From a poor family, Nagi was only able to afford care at a local hospital, but he was told that to treat his condition properly, he would need to seek specialised care at a medical centre in the capital, Sanaa, or Aden. For a man reliant on the charity of others to put food on his table, paying for medical treatment in another governorate is nearly impossible. “Travelling to Aden or Sanaa requires a lot of money, and I am unemployed. But I pray to God every day and hope someone will help me get better one day,” he added. Yemen suffers from a severe shortage of skilled health workers, with 18 percent of districts across the country completely lacking doctors, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Many of the nation’s most qualified health professionals left Yemen long ago, in search of better opportunities abroad. Yemenis who can afford medical care overseas now travel to Egypt, Jordan, India and other countries for treatment. Those without funds have no option but to seek treatment at home – but nearly 12 years of war and other challenges have seen a massive brain drain from Yemen, decimating the country’s health sector. Losing an eye, risking the other Taha Nabil, 45, from al-Shimayateen district in Taiz governorate, has suffered from a cataract in his right eye, and like Nagi, has been unable to find the right treatment in his area. With no ophthalmologist working nearby, he managed to save enough money for surgery with an eye specialist in Taiz, but even then he was to become a victim of the brain drain. “I thought the surgery would be straightforward, and I didn’t hesitate to do it, but I later regretted the decision,” Nabil told Al Jazeera. “Before the surgery, my vision was just blurry, but afterwards, I lost sight in that eye completely.” After seeking care for his cataract, he is now seeking an ophthalmologist who can restore the vision in his right eye, but finding a qualified medical professional and the $4,000 to cover the costs of treatment are proving a difficult task. “I don’t know of any Yemeni ophthalmologists who can truly help me, and seeking proper medical care costs a fortune these days,” Nabil added. “Before 2015, there were doctors who could have treated this, but many of them have left the country, leaving patients stranded without proper healthcare.” With proper medical attention unaffordable, Nabil has no choice but to adapt to daily life using just one eye. “Ophthalmologists have warned me that the vision in my left eye will also deteriorate if I don’t receive proper treatment, but that is simply out of my hands.” Brain drain The impact on the country’s healthcare has been profound. Today, Yemen’s physician ratio stands at a mere 0.1 doctors per 1,000 people, according to the World Bank, far below the regional average of 1.1.