Attorney General Ali Al-Awash has ordered an investigation into allegations that hospitals in the interim capital of Aden have refused medical assistance to a number of patients they suspected of suffering from Covid-19, the state-run Saba news agency said on Saturday.

The investigation comes amid an uptick in deaths reported in Aden due to causes similar to Covid-19, but for which testing was not performed. There are concerns that the real number of Covid-19 cases is higher, and due to this speculation ill individuals have reportedly been turned away from hospitals.

“Governmental and private hospitals in Aden refused to receive many of the people who died of this disease, fearing contracting the corona epidemic, which led to the deterioration of their health,” a local medical source told Almasdar Online. Hospital staff have complained about a lack of personal protective equipment to safely handle patients.

On Friday, 19 deaths were reported in Aden due to symptoms similar to coronavirus, bringing the total of such cases to 25 since Thursday.

On Saturday, Yemeni health authorities announced the registration of three new cases of the new Coronavirus, including two in Aden, bringing the number of cases recorded in Yemen since April 10th to ten, including two deaths and one recovery.

According to Saba, Attorney General Al-Awash stated in his directive to Aden's appeals prosecutor that “any criminal proceedings are to be recorded and perpetrators to be accountable in accordance with the decision of the prosecution and act in accordance with the law.”

The interim capital of Aden is experiencing a state of deteriorating services, amid heightened tensions in the south between the government and Southern Transitional Council (STC), and flooding that hit Aden in April.

Edited by Ali Al Sakani