Governmental hospitals in El-Obeid, in the Sudanese state of North Kordofan, went on strike. This compounded the tragedy experienced by the health sector in the country, which has been exhausted by war since mid-April.
The Sudanese Medical Association said – in a statement, which Sky News obtained a copy of – that the decision to strike the hospitals comes after the end of the 48-hour deadline given by the General Assembly of doctors at the El-Obeid Teaching Hospital to the Director-General, and therefore the government hospitals in the city went on an open strike from work in all departments at the beginning. From yesterday Thursday, until their demands are met.
The demands of doctors in Al-Abyad city hospitals are represented in a number of points:
* Improving the work environment at Al-Abyad Teaching Hospital.
* Urgent treatment of doctors’ breaks in the hospital.
* Provide relay for doctors.
* Maintaining and improving the means of work such as subsistence, drinking water and periodic hygiene.
* Payment of delayed financial dues for doctors until June 30 for all doctors.
In light of this crisis, the Medical Syndicate called on hospital directors and state governments to provide a healthy environment and requirements that meet the continued provision of health services to citizens in light of the 4-month war, so as not to increase the fatigue of citizens who have suffered a lot in the past period.
The United Nations: the number of people threatened with hunger has increased in Sudan
A crushing crisis
For his part, Secretary of the Preliminary Committee for the Sudanese Medical Association, Attia Abdullah, stressed in an interview with “Sky News Arabia” the need to meet the demands of doctors in light of the current difficult conditions.
Abdullah outlined the position of the health sector, which has collapsed as a result of the war, on a number of points, saying that:
* The health situation in Sudan is from bad to worse. The more military operations increase and expand, the greater the number of Sudanese casualties, and thus the health system will be directly affected.
* We divide Sudan into two parts; The first is witnessing military operations directly, such as the states of Khartoum and Darfur, and in the other section comes the rest of the states that did not witness military operations, but both sections suffer greatly. In the areas affected by the war, the health system has completely collapsed, especially in West Darfur and a number of cities in the states.
* In states that were not affected by the war, the health system was also affected by the increased demand for hospitals.
* In addition, there are frequent cases of attacks on medical personnel, and the occupation of some hospitals and their exploitation in war, in addition to the continuous power outages.
* On the ground level, the rains have begun to fall, and we fear the spread of epidemics such as malaria and measles, and we expect the worst if the situation continues as it is, and if the health authorities are not sufficiently prepared, the results will be disastrous.
* At the level of the displaced, there are very large numbers who fled the war, and the camps for the displaced were also affected, as they were built in an area with incomplete medical services, and now they suffer from poor health conditions.
* On the level of food, we fear famine in Sudan in light of the great shortage of necessary food supplies, especially for the most vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly.
international concern
On the ground, the Rapid Support Forces announced, on Friday, their complete control of the state of Central Darfur, western Sudan.
A spokesman for the Rapid Support Forces denied the Sudanese army’s version of losses among its forces, accusing the army of taking civilians as human shields.
The United Nations Integrated Transitional Support Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) expressed its deep concern about the serious impact of the fighting between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces on civilians in the Darfur region.
The World Food Program also warned that 19 million people, or about 40 percent of Sudan’s population, would slip into the circle of hunger, after months of battles between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, without a horizon for a sustainable cessation of the fighting.
Manhar economy
* Since the outbreak of the war in mid-April, the prices of some basic food commodities have more than tripled, due to the interruption of supply chains and the closure of most distribution markets in Khartoum.
* The matter is getting worse in light of the lack of liquidity and the non-receipt of workers in the state for their wages for the fourth month in a row, due to the great damage that befell the banking system.
* In a country where about two-thirds of the population depends on daily work, more than 80 percent of which has been suspended due to the war, rates of inability to purchase food commodities are increasing, especially in light of the state’s inability to meet the wages of workers.
2023-08-04 23:50:51
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