Hundreds Attend Funeral of Sickle Cell Patient in the Capital Sana’a
Hundreds of supporters and advocates for thalassemia and hereditary blood disorder patients gathered midday the day before yesterday to bid a final farewell to the late Abdulrahman Alwan, a sickle cell anemia patient, who was laid to rest at Al-Siyah Cemetery in Sana’a.
Leading the funeral procession were Dr. Ahmed Shamsan Al-Muqrami, President of the Yemeni Society for Thalassemia and Hereditary Blood Disorders; Mr. Jameel Ali Al-Khayati, Executive Director; Dr. Mukhtar Ismail, Director of the Thalassemia Care Center; Mr. Ali Abdulwali, Branches Officer at the Society; along with a large number of relatives, friends, and supporters of the deceased.
Abdulrahman passed away the previous evening due to a sudden pulmonary artery embolism, just two hours after undergoing a hip joint replacement surgery at a hospital in the capital. The thirty-something-year-old left behind a grieving wife and three young orphans, the youngest of whom is only one month old.
Commenting on the incident, Executive Director Mr. Jameel Al-Khayati stated that this tragedy is a direct consequence of the severe complications caused by the disease in the absence of adequate medical care. He stressed that patients with hereditary blood disorders—especially sickle cell anemia—require early and consistent medical attention to prevent their conditions from deteriorating to such a critical stage.
Mr. Al-Khayati further explained that proper healthcare demands significant financial and social support to ensure patients’ medical stability. He warned that more than 8,500 patients across the country face a similar fate due to worsening health conditions driven by the ongoing shortage of essential medicines and medical supplies.
He called on local and international health organizations, as well as philanthropists and the private sector, to step in urgently to help save the lives of these patients and protect them from the dangerous consequences of their illnesses.
