ADEN, Jun 18 (NNN-WAM) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) yesterday, dispatched a plane, carrying a shipment of 60,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses, to war-ravaged Yemen, a government official said.
The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), the UAE’s humanitarian arm, delivered the first medical aid shipment to Yemen’s strategic Island of Socotra, in a bid to support local authorities’ efforts to combat the pandemic, the government source said, on condition of anonymity.
“The first shipment that includes doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, will be distributed free, to provide greater protection for the vulnerable, the elderly and those with chronic diseases in Socotra,” the source added.
In Apr, the UAE started the first-phase construction of eight medical facilities in Yemen’s south-eastern province of Hadramout, aiming at improving the country’s health sector, aggravated by years of deadly conflict.
Since 2015, the UAE has provided more than six billion U.S. dollars in aid, to war-torn Yemen, to help rebuild various sectors in the country, including vital infrastructure, and to restore health and social services, according to UAE officials.
The UAE is also an active member of the Saudi-led Arab coalition, that has been fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen, since Mar, 2015.– NNN-WAM
