The government of Sudan must focus on providing support to its health facilities, despite the ongoing crisis, to avoid an impending humanitarian disaster.

Development Diaries reports that the impact of the ongoing war in Sudan has now taken a new turn as medical facilities providing life-saving support are running out of oxygen and struggling to keep the lights on.

Oxygen shortages are expected to have profound implications for inpatients and surgical procedures in both government and private hospitals across El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan.

We understand the crisis is being intensified by the ongoing challenges of electricity and water shortages, which have now persisted for a week due to the war.

The shortage of fuel, which has compounded the multiple challenges caused by utility cuts and the depletion of oxygen in medical facilities, is set to create a severe deficit in life-saving medications.

Local reports suggest the fuel scarcity in El Obeid driving the price of fuel to reach as high as SDG25,000.

In Kassala, where the government issued a decision to hike utility bills, the price of cooking gas is as high as SDG21,000 per cylinder, a staggering increase from its previous SDG6,500.

The government is yet to respond to these challenges as citizens continue to face harsh conditions.

Development Diaries call on the Sudanese government, through the Ministry of Social Welfare, and the Humanitarian Aid Commission, to urgently put in place measures to ensure health facilities receive the needed support required to keep them running at this crucial time.

The government must also focus on ensuring the costs of energy and fuel are affordable for the masses.

Source: Dabanga

Photo source: MSF