Sudan's War-Torn Health Sector Struggles to Recover
Following the ongoing war in Sudan, while some hospitals in the capital have reopened, millions of people in rural areas and conflict zones are deprived of healthcare services due to medicine shortages and high costs.
After more than three years of ongoing war in Sudan, the healthcare system presents two contrasting pictures. While some hospitals have resumed operations in the capital Khartoum, the lack of facilities and medicine shortages in Darfur, Kordofan, and rural regions leave millions of people suffering.
Two Contrasting Pictures in the Healthcare System
Hospitals reopening their doors after destruction and looting, alongside facilities struggling with electricity and staff shortages, lay bare the dimensions of the health crisis in Sudan.
According to World Health Organization data, approximately 37 percent of health facilities in the country are out of service, while 21 million people are in need of medical support.
Gradual Return at Omdurman Hospital
Omdurman Teaching and Research Hospital in the capital has started accepting patients again with international aid, despite suffering severe damage in the war.
While intensive care and oxygen production units have been put into operation at the hospital, the facility still faces issues such as insufficient beds, fuel, and wards.
Needs of Bahri Hospital
Bahri Teaching and Research Hospital also needs intensive care devices, backup power sources, and infrastructure support to increase its capacity.
Challenges in Rural and Conflict Zones
In regions far from major hospitals, the public struggles with a shortage of health personnel and medicine, as well as long distances and high treatment costs.
In the city of El Fasher in North Darfur, instances of pregnant women unable to find hospitals and forced to give birth by the roadside have been documented.
International Support and Debates
While Doctors Without Borders states that funding cuts deepen the crisis, Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim rejects the description of collapse and emphasizes that the sector is trying to recover with international support.
Patients undergoing chronic treatments, such as cancer patients, are forced to postpone their treatments due to rising medicine and bed fees.