Arabic version: مستشفى رهيد البردي بجنوب دارفور مهدد بالإغلاق بعد مغادرة طبيبه

According to Allafrica, Rehed El Bardi Hospital in South Darfur faces the risk of effectively shutting down after the only doctor serving the facility left to pursue postgraduate studies. The departure leaves the hospital without a permanent physician and puts essential healthcare at risk for thousands of residents in Rehed El Bardi locality and surrounding areas.

The hospital also receives patients from Kubum locality, Wad El-Fursan, Um Dafoug locality and other nearby areas. Many patients have difficulty travelling to Nyala for treatment, making the facility a vital local source of care. It has operated with limited medicines, equipment and medical staff since Sudan’s war began in April 2023, and it has not received regular support from the state government or humanitarian organisations working in health.

Local authorities, civil administration representatives, community leaders, neighbourhood heads and activists have agreed to create a fund to help keep services running. The executive director of the Rehed El Bardi administrative unit said an 11-member committee would oversee the fund and appealed to people from the locality inside and outside Sudan to contribute. The initiative is intended to support medical staff and secure resources for the hospital.

Meeting participants also agreed to seek conditions that could attract doctors and other health workers, including financial and moral support to encourage them to stay. Community members said they would mobilise contributions from traders, livestock owners and farmers, while activist Adam Bashir Hassan said a popular fundraising drive had been launched with local authorities to recruit doctors and support operations. He said medical needs were particularly urgent during seasonal illnesses, including fever and diarrhoeal diseases.

Rehed El Bardi Hospital was built through a community effort that began in the early 1990s, when residents contributed sugar rations toward construction. The hospital officially opened in 1993. Residents later used local resources, allowances and in-kind support to attract and retain doctors. With war reducing those resources, the community is again relying on collective action to keep the facility staffed and operational.