Khartoum, 19 October - Residents of the southern Sudanese capital Khartoum are suffering from deteriorating health services and a shortage of basic medicines as an epidemic continues to spread amid a protracted civil war.
Insecurity and recurrent violence in the region have led to the partial closure of health facilities, limiting local access to health services.
On 5 October, the NGO Doctors Without Borders said it had been forced to suspend activities at the Al Shaheed Waddalatela clinic south of Khartoum.
This "extremely difficult" decision came after three armed robberies in one month that threatened the lives of staff and patients, the global medical charity said in a statement.
Meanwhile, "there is a severe shortage of medicines in all health facilities in southern Khartoum," told Xinhua News Agency Rasha Idris, an official at Khartoum's Ministry of Health, and noted that local health authorities are coordinating the delivery of medical aid with international organisations.
On Saturday, the obstetrics and gynaecology ward at Bashair Hospital, one of the two main hospitals in southern Khartoum, said it had become out of service due to a shortage of blood in the hospital's blood bank.
In a statement, the hospital urged people in the area to donate blood and warned that the emergency room may be closed if blood is not delivered within 24 hours.
The ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Units, which began in April 2023, has disrupted health services in other regions, including Darfur, West Kordofan, Gezira and Sinnar.
The health crisis is further exacerbated by epidemics of epidemic diseases, including cholera, malaria, measles and dengue fever. The Sudanese Ministry of Health has so far recorded more than 25,000 cases of cholera and more than 700 cholera-related deaths, along with more than 2,500 cases of dengue fever.
XINHUA/ gnews - RoZ
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