Health workers providing services at the only functional facility in Sudan’s Wad Madani are being forced to shut down operations due to heightened security concerns needing urgent attention.
Development Diaries reports that Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been forced to suspend work in Madani Teaching Hospital in Sudan due to harassment and obstructions.
Given this development, hundreds of thousands of people in dire need of medical assistance in the capital of Al Jazirah State will be left stranded with lesser chances of survival.
Amidst the growing insecurity, MSF has been unable to bring new staff and medical supplies into the area due to the denial of travel permits and has faced repeated security incidents, such as looting and harassment, affecting their ability to provide medical care.
‘The health system and basic services in Al Jazirah state have collapsed as a consequence of the fighting and the systematic blockade on supplies and personnel entering the area’, Operations Manager for MSF in Sudan, Mari Carmen Viñoles, said in a statement.
‘MSF was the only international NGO providing some support in Wad Madani. Our departure leaves a deep void for people struggling to access healthcare and living in a very insecure environment without transportation to move around’.
Between mid-January and the end of April, there was a constant influx of patients into the emergency room, totalling 2,981 admissions. A significant number of these admissions involved physical injuries sustained in the ongoing violence.
It is paramount that all warring parties avoid civilians and health facilities, as enshrined in international humanitarian laws.
Development Diaries calls on the authorities of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to prioritise the safety of health workers and facilities, as they are crucial to the survival of the people of Sudan.
Source: MSF
Photo source: MSF
