Yemen’s critically ill are trapped as war closes the country’s airports

Sanaa, Yemen – Rajaa Ghirsan, a 50-year-old seamstress from Sanaa, Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital, can barely speak or breathe due to obstructions in her airway. Her vocal cord paralysis and severe complications in her larynx have left her dependent on a device fitted around her neck to keep air flowing and stave off suffocation. The device has to be replaced every two months and costs $100 each time. She has undergone six operations in Egypt and India since 2006 in an attempt to try to help her breathe normally, but she now needs another complex operation abroad to open her airway. As Yemen’s conflict-weakened health system lacks the infrastructure and specialist care required, she will need to head overseas for treatment.