The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that escalating conflicts, disease outbreaks, food insecurity and dwindling humanitarian funding are pushing millions of people across the Eastern Mediterranean Region into a worsening health crisis.
In its latest Health Emergencies Situation Report, the UN health agency said fragile health systems across the region are under immense pressure, leaving millions without access to essential medical services.
WHO identified Sudan as the region’s largest humanitarian emergency, revealing that 30.4 million people currently require life-saving assistance, while 13.5 million have been displaced by the country’s ongoing conflict.
The organisation warned that widespread disease outbreaks, coupled with severe funding shortages, are threatening the collapse of critical healthcare services in Sudan.
The report also expressed concern over renewed hostilities across parts of the Middle East, saying recent military escalations have reversed de-escalation efforts and increased risks to civilians while disrupting humanitarian operations.
According to WHO, fresh attacks in Iran and parts of the Gulf, alongside continued threats to commercial shipping near the Strait of Hormuz, have significantly affected medical supply chains and the delivery of essential healthcare services.
Beyond conflict, the agency reported that more than 37.8 million people across the Greater Horn of Africa are facing acute food insecurity, with nearly 26 million of them located in Sudan, Somalia and Djibouti.
To sustain emergency health operations, WHO is seeking $6.42 million to support healthcare and nutrition services in Sudan, Somalia and Djibouti over the next six months.
The requested funding will support primary healthcare, nutrition programmes, disease surveillance, outbreak response, community outreach and the pre-positioning of essential medical supplies.
WHO noted that humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate in several conflict-affected areas, including the occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, where displacement, insecurity and climate-related disasters have further strained already fragile health systems.
The organisation disclosed that funding shortages have already forced the closure or reduction of services at more than 260 health facilities in Somalia, affecting approximately 1.62 million people. In Yemen, budget constraints have limited access to healthcare for an estimated 8.4 million people across 141 districts.
According to WHO, its 2026 Health Emergencies Appeal for the Eastern Mediterranean Region requires $633 million, but about 40 percent of the funding remains unmet, placing critical emergency operations at risk.
The report also documented 27 verified attacks on healthcare facilities in June alone, resulting in 10 deaths and 75 injuries. Lebanon recorded the highest number of incidents, followed by the occupied Palestinian territory and Sudan.
Between January and June 2026, WHO verified 369 attacks on healthcare facilities across the region, accounting for nearly half of all such incidents recorded globally during the period.