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8 August 2024 (Port Sudan) – Most hospitals and health centres in Sudan have been forced to close, with two-thirds of Sudanese civilians no longer able to access basic health services, an aid agency said on Thursday.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said that since the conflict broke out in mid-April last year, doctors and nurses have been killed and injured, and many medical facilities have been damaged by shelling and air strikes.
The agency said repeated attacks on health facilities and personnel were taking a toll amid the worsening food crisis, noting that health centres were crucial to preventing, detecting and treating malnutrition.
Their ability to function properly is critical for the most vulnerable, including pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and children under five years old.
“The situation in the health clinics is unspeakable,” said Amelie Chbat, who heads the ICRC’s health programmes in Sudan. “The wounded lack medicines, food and water, and the elderly, women and children are not getting basic treatment such as dialysis or diabetes medication. The situation is getting worse.”
Reports of looting and destruction of medical facilities, threats and violence against medical staff and patients, and denial of medical care to civilians are increasing. In addition, reports indicate that fighters and civilians have died due to lack of timely access to medical care.
According to the aid agency, entire communities are being deprived of vital services such as maternal care, childcare and vaccinations because of the conflict.
The ICRC reminds all parties to the conflict that such actions will have serious and lasting consequences for the entire Sudanese population and that protecting health care is an obligation under international humanitarian law.
The statement further stated that medical personnel must be allowed to perform their duties in a safe and secure environment and in accordance with medical ethics, and stressed that deliberate attacks on medical personnel or medical facilities constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law.
(English stone)
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