Sudan: Doctors Without Borders responds to medical needs, prepares to scale up activities
Ongoing violence continues in many parts of Sudan. Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams on the ground report that hospitals are overwhelmed, and thousands are fleeing to safer areas. Already we are seeing immense humanitarian and medical needs.
“During a lull in the fighting, Doctors Without Borders was able to make a donation of medical supplies to a health facility in Khartoum on Sunday 23 April, and we are in contact with hospitals and Sudanese medical authorities and associations trying to supply additional hospitals and facilities within the capital – however, the fighting is continuing to make this almost impossible,” said Dr Ghazali Babiker, Doctors Without Borders Country Director for Sudan.
In El Fasher, a large number of wounded people have arrived at the hospital Doctors Without Borders supports. Our teams are working round the clock to treat the injured – 404 people have so far made it to the hospital for treatment, which is now the only health facility that is operational in the city.
Thousands of people have fled from Khartoum to Wad Madani. MSF teams, including staff from Khartoum and from our project in Damazin, are assessing how we can best begin to respond to the needs there.
Doctors Without Borders supported facilities are also continuing to treat patients in Damazin, Blue Nile State, Omdurman, Khartoum State, Kreinik and El Geneina, West Darfur, Rokero, Central Darfur, Um Rakuba and Gedaref state in eastern Sudan. We remain committed to providing much needed healthcare to people in Sudan, especially during these challenging moments. But to do so, we need to be able to ensure the safety and security of our staff and patients.
“Experienced Doctors Without Borders emergency teams stand ready to enter Sudan as soon as they are able to support the scale-up of our activities. Other teams are currently preparing and identifying the best ways to send medical and humanitarian supplies to the country,” Kate Nolan, Doctors Without Borders Deputy Director of Operations.
After more than a week of sheltering from heavy fighting in Sudan, some of our teams have relocated to safer locations, while there are plans for others to leave the country. Some staff have also relocated with their families to safer areas, often joining family members. We continue to keep in close contact with all team members, as far as possible. The safety of our staff is a top priority, and we appreciate the support we received to safely relocate our teams.
“We reiterate our call for all those participating in the violence to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure the safety of medical personnel and health facilities, to allow safe passage of our teams, ambulances, and civilians seeking healthcare, and to facilitate movement of those who are delivering humanitarian assistance”, said Dr. Abubakr Bashir Bakri, Doctors Without Borders operations manager for Sudan. # (PR)
