UAE starts constructing 8 medical facilities in Yemen‏

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday launched the first-phase construction of eight medical facilities in Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramout, a government official told Xinhua.

The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) launched the humanitarian initiative, which aims at improving Yemen's health sector aggravated by years of deadly conflict, the official said on condition of anonymity.

Under the patronage of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, four other new hospitals were inaugurated by the UAE's ERC in Hadramout, he added.

With direct support from the ERC, a number of medical centers have been renovated and equipped with essential medical equipment and supplies to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Hadramout, according to the source.

Since 2015, the UAE has provided more than 6 billion U.S. dollars in foreign assistance to the war-torn Yemeni regions, according to UAE officials.

The sum was used to help rebuild various sectors in the country, including vital infrastructure, and to restore health and social services.

The UAE is also an active member of the Saudi-led Arab coalition that has been fighting the Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen since March 2015.