Arabic version: أطباء سودانيون يحذرون من تفاقم الأزمة الصحية
According to Allafrica, Sudan’s health system is nearing collapse as disease and epidemics spread in conditions shaped by poor sanitation, overcrowding and war damage to medical infrastructure. The Preparatory Committee of the Sudanese Doctors’ Syndicate presented its report to the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The committee said conflict-affected areas, including Khartoum, Omdurman and Gezira state, face catastrophic conditions. Dr Adiba Ibrahim El-Sayed, an internal medicine and epidemiology specialist and the committee’s spokesperson, said the report documented environmental damage and the destruction of major laboratories, including the National Public Health Laboratory, the University of Khartoum laboratory and the El-Daman Hospital laboratory.
Decomposing bodies, war debris, contaminated water, inadequate sanitation and prolonged electricity cuts are contributing to conditions for disease outbreaks, Ibrahim said. Mosquitoes and flies are also spreading disease, while failures to disinfect affected areas and restrict access to contaminated sites have increased infection risks. Cases are rising even in places considered relatively safe.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women, children, and people in shelters and camps for displaced people and refugees have inadequate access to healthcare and vaccination, the report said. It also documented sexual violence and warned that survivors face stigma, psychological harm, sexually transmitted infections and, without suitable medical and psychological support, potentially severe consequences.
Arrests, assaults, harassment and other violations against doctors and health workers have worsened staff shortages at hospitals that remain open. The committee called on the international community and the UN Security Council to press the warring parties to end the conflict, protect medical workers and facilities, ensure humanitarian and medical access, and support displaced people and refugees.
