Armies of Liberation

Yemen Times

During their latest press conference, in response to questions about the shortage of drugs in several governorates, the greatest shortage being of insulin, the director of the Drug Fund indicated that limitations in drug availability are the product of a reduction of the Drug Fund’s budget from 3.5 billion Yemeni riyals to 1.45 billion Yemeni riyals.

One patient expressed their shock at the director’s revelation, stating, “As a patient my reaction is that I am horribly terrified by this news and a person like me is undoubtedly dead either influenced by those declarations in this respect or by actual lack of such indispensable drugs.”

At Thamar General Hospital, several diabetes patients came for their scheduled treatment, only to be turned away due to an insulin shortage. “For three days I came from Yarim and they told me it [insulin] was not available. Both I and my sister are infected and we do not have money to buy this medicine from a private pharmacy,” Nabil Nasser Al-Faqeeh stated, adding, “When I don’t use insulin it leaves very bad consequences on my health. Thus, the only alternative here is the private sector with its expensive prices, which are beyond my ability.” He implored concerned officials to have some mercy and provide enough insulin for health centers. Mr. Al-Faqeeh is just one of many patients who are suffering from a lack of required medicine to treat their illnesses.

Essam Al-Shami, a patient in Wesab province, told Yemen Times, “I came to the health center in the countryside to get myself cured. I got tablets that have no positive effect on me because I am still suffering from a very bad stomachache. Tablets are put in small plastic cases and this is not a good way to [package] medicine. Even the way of dealing with such drugs creates my distrust about their efficiency and maybe they are expired because of putting them in plastic cases.” He added, “This is, in my point of view, a result of the absence of supervision and following up by the concerned officials. Through your newspaper I invite and ask the minister of public health to make inspection campaigns and to pay frequent sudden visits to the public hospitals and such health centers. In this way he is going to discover several problems that could get solutions and lead to a better health change.”

Public Drugs Sold to Private Sector

Although there are adequate drugs, many are stolen and sold to the private sector, according to an official source in the Supreme Drugs Authority. The source states that birth control belonging to the Ministry of Health has been discovered being sold in private pharmacies at Al-Jumhori Hospital. There are many drugs belonging to the Ministry of Health being sold secretly to the private sector during distribution among governorates, the same source indicated. Currently, investigation of two suspects is underway. Secret investigation committees have also been formed in Sana’a, Taiz and Hodeidah in order to determine if drugs belonging to the Ministry are in fact being sold to the private sector.

The Problem of Centralization0

Dr. Najeeb Ghanim, ex-health minister and current chairman of the health committee in Parliament confirmed receiving several complaints regarding corruption in the health sector.

Centralization is one of the main causes of this problem, as imported drugs are stored in one central location and not distributed to public hospitals and health centers immediately. According to Dr. Ghanim, delayed distribution increases chances for the drugs to be stolen and then sold to the private sector. He added, “There is a big problem, from which the health sector suffers, [and that is the] sharp shortage of life-saving drugs such as kidneys drugs, drugs for incurable diseases like cancer and cirrhosis and drugs for chronic diseases such as saccharine, high blood pressure and so on.”

Dr. Ghanim has spoken out about the existence of expired drugs and drugs that do not meet property quality specifications. He also indicated that funding for drugs is inadequate, averaging $1.50 per patient. Funding needed amounts to around 6 billion Yemeni riyals whereas the current funding lags at one billion two hundred Yemeni riyals.

Struggle Between Ministry of Health & Medical Companies

During a July 4th demonstration, considered the first of its kind in Yemen, kidney patients demanded that the ministry stop importing “fake medicines,” accusing the ministry of buying uncertified medicine at low costs and then charging patients highly inflated prices.

Minister of Public Health Dr. Rasae accused major medical companies, blacklisted by the Ministry of Health, of devising a campaign against the ministry.

Such conflict between the ministry and medical companies does nothing to solve medication shortages. In the end, Yemeni citizens who rely on public access to such medicine are the ones who suffer.

Yemen Observer

The Parliament agreed Wednesday to form a 50-member committee to address political tensions and other problems throughout the country.
This committee will be formed as a result of suggestions from MP Hussein al -Ahmar, who said the country is passing through a difficult period these days, and citizens are living in difficult situations.

Many voices are speaking out in ways that threaten national unity, security, and stability, said Ahmar. These complaints about the country result from the poor conditions in which many people live.
Al-Aahmar called on the committee to visit all the provinces to meet important citizens in order to understand their concerns and problems, and to work to find solutions.

MP Nabil Basha, of the GPC,said that the GPC Bloc approved a small, seven-member committee to draft the agenda of the expanded 50-member committee and identify issues to be discussed and included in the agenda.
“We heard about the problems affecting the national unity of the country, so we formed an expanded committee of Parliamentarians to find facts about these events away from the exaggeration, reasonably, and objectively because the issue does not belong to the ruling party, but is an issue concerning the nation in general,” Basha said.

“It is necessary to accept these problems, because this recognition is the beginning of the right path to find solutions to these problems. “The majority parliamentary bloc, the GPC, does not have the arrogance not to recognize the problems and not to exaggerate, as it wouldn’t allow some people to use their fair rights for legal purposes,” Basha added.

MP Ali Ashaal, of the Islah party said that the idea is good, “although it came late, and I hope this committee is formed because of the responsibility towards what is going on in the country and not to achieve personals benefits.” Goals must be set and the issues clearly defined, so the committee will be able to give strong recommendations to the government.

MP Sakher al-Wajeeh, an Independent, supported his colleague Ashaal in setting the goals of the committee. Al- Wajeeh suggested that the committee also address the issues of military and civilian retirees, and the seizing of private land in the southern governorates and in al-Hodeida Governorate.

MP Saleh al-Sanabani, of Islah, endorsed the functions proposed by al-Wajeeh, and added that the committee should also address the high prices of consumer goods, and the grievances of prisoners. Abdul-Wahab al-Aansi, Secretary-General of the Yemeni Islah party, preferred not to talk about the complaints of the military retirees, which he said harm national unity.

“We should turn the talk in this case to work seriously and sincerely to take away any opportunity to those who want to damage security and stability in Yemen, and to those who try to avert the claims of retirees to other tracks that are not real issues, there are people who want to benefit from this issue,” al-Aansi said.

Former Prime Minister Abu Bakr al-Attas has said that there should be a referendum on national unity. But al-Aansi said that there was already a referendum on unity when the constitution was formed in 1991.

“We in the Joint Meeting Parties are not with the wrong policies of the ruling party, which have produced such tensions, but we also are not with those who want to fan the fires to clarify their way to harm the unity,” al-Aansi said.

“We strongly support demands of military and civilian retirees, as they are lawful and legal,” he added. He said that the Parliament is one of the reasons for the problems and tensions in the state, because it has not fulfilled its duty as required.

Al-Aansi denied that there was a connection between the marginalization of the Yemeni Socialist Party and the existence of these problems.
He also said that the problems are not only in the southern governorates, but also in all of the country.

“But there may be some specific problems in southern provinces, because of the historical background to it, as some of the reasons and other factors,” he said. Civil society organizations in several governorates have expressed disapproval of people speaking against unity. People across the Lahj governorate have said that some people are being paid to create problems with national unity. But they have not said who would be paying these people.

“The sons of the Lahj governorate know the truth and the objectives of these elements, and we would not allow any conspiracy to harm the homeland and its unity, security, and stability,” said a statement issued by the political parties and organizations and civil society organizations.

Some people in the Abyan governorate expressed their total rejection of all attempts by people who are paid by those who want to encourage troublemaking for homeland and want to damage its unity, security, and stability.

“The continued escalation of the issue of retirees, in light of the procedures taken by the State to address the issues in the framework of the law, reveals the reality of good intentions on the part of the government. People who harm the unity exploit this issue and other issues for their own purposes and schemes,” said a statement issued by the political and cultural organizations in the governorate of Abyan.

A statement issued by the national, political, social, and cultural organizations in the province said that what they see as combining elements from outside the province is an abuse of the history and of the struggle of the people in this province.

On July 7, a large demonstration took place in Aden. It was attended by thousands of retired military personnel, who asked for their return to military service, and money owed them by the government. The demonstration included many people chanting slogans against unity.

Days before the demonstration, the president decided to return to work 1,000 officers who want to return to the military service, with the payment of all financial dues from 1994 on. This will be dealt with by field committees formed by the Ministries of Defense and Interior.

then they sell it cheap to “influential persons” who resell it at a huge profit or sometimes keep it.

ADEN, NewsYemen

The member of Parliament Abdul-Bari Doghaish could not complete narrating the story of people lost their lands and houses in Dar Daad in Aden at the Parliament’s session on Monday.

The bitter feeling of the situation of those people, some of them died and some others committed suicide due to injustice and deprivation of their rights forced Doghaish to stop finishing the story, which he could bring to the Parliament for the first time.

Doghaish’s colleagues Sakhr al-Wajeeh and Ensaf Mayo urged to hold back measures being taken by the Land and Estates Authority to hand over the Military Economic Corporation lands in Dar Saad and to hand over those lands to their legal owners. They also recommended to restore lands taken from their owners in the past and to obligate the Local Authority in Aden to compensate people whose houses were “unduly destroyed”.

The members attacked the Military Economic Corporation, which has confiscated lands in Aden.
The MP al-Wajeeh asked the Parliament to form an inspection committee to scrutinize the reality of the corporation, which has activities in different fields, according to al-Wajeeh. “We really do not know if it is military or economic!” said al-Wajeeh.

The member Mohammad al-Naqeeb said “the corporation has taken lands enough to be a republic”, while the member Mohsin Ba-Sora described the quandary as “timed bomb that may affect the national unity”.

The head of Lands and Estates Authority’s office in Aden Yahya Ba Dwaid admitted that some legal failures led to the crisis of lands in Aden that “affects the social peace”. He asked for amendments of legislations related to lands and estates.

The Parliament decided to send an order to the government to compel the minister of local administration and Adel local authority to achieve the Parliament’s recommendations regarding houses destroyed and lands confiscated by the Military Economic Corporation.

yay! that’s encouraging, no one wants Sa’ada War number 5 (well some do). There’s still 120,000 internally displaced persons though.

Almotamar.net – Almotamar.net learned Tuesday from reliable sources that the Qatari delegation taking part in the committee overseeing implementation of an agreement for ending the sedition in Saada is expected back in Yemen Tuesday.

The sources mentioned the Qatari delegation is scheduled to hold a meeting with the committee in Sana’a on Wednesday to discuss requirements for finalizing implementation of the agreement articles stipulating the rebels evacuation of positions still being used as strongholds and handing over their weapons to government authorities.

The sources disclosed to almotamar.net the Qatari delegation will remain in Sana’a and would ask al-Houthi for a time space not exceeding two weeks to complete carrying out the agreement; otherwise it would return to Qatar.

Qatar had last week recalled its delegation for consultation in the wake of facing hindrances in implementing the agreement by al-Houthi followers.

Meanwhile, last Saturday a republican decree was issued for establishment of a fund for the reconstruction of the areas in Saada affected due to sabotage and terror acts.

Some brave person appears to be fighting alone to implement the law on bringing in banned pesticides, and of course the persons bringing them in are powerful merchants and importers:

Almotamar.net – Official sources issued warning Tuesday that there are attempts of fraud by some importers and merchants of pesticides regarding the list of prohibited insecticides representing 349 active substances containing more than 800 trade marks of dangerous pesticides and most of them cause cancer.

A source close to the committee registering pesticides at the ministry of agriculture said some importers and merchants of insecticides were trying to enter large quantities of them, which are prohibited from circulation, on the list of allowed types of pesticides.

The source appealed to all concerned government institutions for activation of the list of banned materials and toehold accountable anyone who tries to trade with those pesticides with only aim of profit at the expense of the public health of the citizens, soil and plants.

Funny how the drug trafficers and other criminals never escape.

Almotamar.net – Specialised Criminal Court condemned Tuesday a person for drug trafficking and sentenced him to 25 years in prison.

In its session today chaired by Judge Radqwan al-Nimr the court announced its judgment against defendant Saleh Saleh Jlaidan who was captured at Al-Qafla checkpoint, the entrance of Amran governorate 5 May 2007 and inn his possession 285 kg of drugs. The serving of his sentence begins from the date of arresting him.

Jamil al-Jadabi Almotamar.net – Reliable sources at the ministry of interior have affirmed Tuesday the closure last week of one of the largest market for selling and buying weapons in Yemen.

In a statement to almotamar.net the sources made it clear that a security campaign has closed down Jahana market, 40km to the east of the capital Sana’a weeks after the government announcement of defining 6 months for the plan of gathering weapons in implementation of the cabinet decision in late April of this year stipulating closure of shops selling weapons, ammunition and explosives.

Sana’a is trying to collect specifically heavy and medium weapons in dependence on a strategy based on compensating their owners with sums of money for a period of six months after which there will be imposing ban on them and confiscating them in case they are found after termination of the period. The government has allocated for this file billions of riyals in a bid to end the phenomenon of weapons trade and limit the phenomenon of carrying weapons that is much spread among Yemeni citizens particularly at the areas of tribes.

The interior ministries of defence and interior have recently displayed stores of heavy and medium weapons collected from citizens as part of the government campaign in this regard. The interior ministry plan for collecting weapons is aimed at collecting heavy and medium weapons and it has drawn up a plan for regulating the process of owning and carrying personal weapons.

Nice of him to spread around the fruits of corruption to loyalists at Sana’a University

Almotamar.net – President of Sana’a University Dr Khalid Tumaim said Sunday that President Ali Abdullah Saleh gave the university 300 laptop computers as a gift to be distributed among members of the teaching staff.

President of the university told almotamar.net the tender for purchasing the computers was concluded and that the computers would be distributed next week among the teaching staff.

The president’s gift for the University of Sana’a is the second one. In 2004 the president presented 1000 computers t the university.

On the other hand the University of Sana’a is holding moray morning a graduation ceremony for its student graduates for 2006 and scheduled to be attended by president of the republic. President of the university told almotamar.net that president Saleh would honour top students of departments and faculties of the university.