The Tragedy of War: partnerships and strategies to deliver essential health care to vulnerable Yemeni children and babies
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine [opens new tab] and ReBUILD for Resilience welcomed Professor Najla Al-Sonboli to Liverpool where she gave a lecture titled ‘The Tragedy of War: partnerships and strategies to deliver essential health care to vulnerable Yemeni children and babies’. This is a recording of that lecture (produced by LSTM).
Background to the lecture
Professor Al-Sonboli is head of the Paediatric Department at Al-Sabeen Hospital for Maternity and Children in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. She leads a highly committed team which delivers essential healthcare for extremely vulnerable children and babies amid ongoing war, disease outbreaks and severe food and drug shortages. In recognition of her outstanding work, Professor Al-Sonboli has been recognised as a ‘Heroine for Health’ by the World Health Assembly.
This lecture explores the challenges of delivering health services in conflict-affected environments and illustrates how solidarity and support can make such a difference.
NB The lecture features content which you may find distressing. There are repeated references to war and conflict and descriptions of illness and trauma affecting children.
Further information
- Professor Al-Sonboli is leading a ReBUILD study in Yemen – ‘Mapping the resilience capacities and coping mechanisms of health workers and other cadres in hospital emergency departments in Sana’a during protracted conflict and crisis in Yemen’. More on that research here.
- She has also spoken at the ReBUILD webinar, ‘No health without peace: Health justice in armed conflict settings’, which you can watch here.
- In this article Professor Al-Sonboli talks about her role, treating children in a war zone and the challenges she faces.