The World Health Organization states that many sick children in developing countries lack love and care while in hospitals, and could die simply because their parents don’t seek medical care in time. This in return deprives the children from love in the time needed most.

According to world health experts, toys can serve an important therapeutic function by bringing fun into the child’s life while in the hospital. They provide emotional love and financial support to children when in hospital care.

Doctor Ahmed Al-Awadi, a consultant in the Yemeni German Hospital mentions that giving a sick child a toy gift is better than giving juice or food as in what is spread in Yemeni culture. It helps the child cope with stressful situation. “Hospitalized children seek a happy life to help them deal with illness or injury that is often unfamiliar, frightening and painful.” He added saying “In our culture, visitors tend to give food and drinks when they visit the sick. That is good, but in cases of children, toys will help them more mentally.”

Psychologists consider love the key element to support the child and to help him cope with hospitalization. Moreover, they claim that giving the child love in these times help in boosting the moral results that come out of the hospitalization period. It creates relaxation, higher pain tolerance and improves compliance.

When asking numerous shop owners in hospitals or near hospitals throughout Sana’a why they don’t bring toys to their stores for selling, they complain that no one asks for them.  “ Store owners would bring anything that sells,  but the demand for toys and hospital gifts are low,” says Salim Abdu Al-Maisari, a shop owner near Al-Thawra governmental hospital.  Moreover, he said visitors always buy food and drink when they visit the sick. “They still think that toys and flowers that are given to the sick is a shame. Others feel that drinks are cheaper and they cannot afford to buy toys and flowers,” he added.

Dr. Sameera Al-Shatibi a surgical specialist at Al-Thawra General Hospital adds that young children require love and kindness. She says that through toys, more happiness is added to  children, which could help in improving their weak health situation. It could also help to develop the child’s desire and motivation to get better in any health problem he faces in the future.

Sadly, in  Yemen many children die in their childhood due to poor treatment, lack of medications and improper nutrition, therefore raising the rate of children death in Yemen, while in many countries the rate of children death is low.

Unfortunately, in rural areas, where the poorest families reside, children never seek healthcare unless they became seriously ill. “Children are never taken to hospitals when getting sick. If their condition become worse their parents may take them to the hospital”, lamented 28 year old Bader Al-Sabahi

Children health is not taken seriously in Yemen, as families lack essential knowledge of how to treat the sick, physically and mentally. According to UNICEF, only 47% of children under five with pneumonia were taken to an appropriate health care through the years 2000-2006. This in result leaves the majority of children in the country without proper health care in this matter. The same study mentions that only 18% of children under five with diarrhea receive oral dehydration, therefore adding more suffering to children in Yemen. “Children suffer greatly when in bad health. Unfortunately the suffering is not only physically but also mentally,” says Dr. Mona Al-Sharafi of Azal Hospital. “Nurses in hospitals are obliged to try to give children who are sick a friendly environment of care and love. That is their duty aside from treating them with the proper medication,” she adds.

However, given the frequent contact between the hospitalized children and nurses, nurses in Yemen do not do much to ease the pain of the child, as they feel that their duty is to give them medication, rather than be a friend they can talk to and complain. “When I was in the hospital, the nurses and doctors treated me as a patient only. They did not smile or talk to me. That made me more scared,” complained Moneef Ali Musleh, an eight year old child who suffered from 2nd degree burns to his body. “Even the way they were looking at the burns, it was as if they were disgusted. They think we don’t feel it because we are kids, but we have feeling as well,” concluded the child.