Médecins Sans Frontières had to stop providing vital support at Wad Madani Hospital

May 8, 2024 (PORT SUDAN/BARCELONA) – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said it was forced to stop work and withdraw its staff from the Madani Teaching Hospital, the only functioning medical facility for hundreds of thousands of people in need of urgent medical attention need help in the capital of the Sudanese state of Al Jazirah.

This difficult decision, the medical charity said in a statement, came after more than three months of relentless challenges providing care at the hospital.

MSF said that due to the denial of travel permits, it was unable to bring new staff and medical supplies to the area, and that there had been repeated security incidents such as looting and harassment, affecting our ability to provide medical care.

The medical charity therefore expressed concern about the growing insecurity in the region.

It called on the warring parties to stop violating health facilities, ensure the safety of medical personnel and issue necessary travel permits for personnel and supplies.

“The health system and basic services in Al Jazirah state have collapsed as a result of the fighting and the systematic blockage of the flow of supplies and personnel to the area,” said Mari Carmen Viñoles, Médecins Sans Frontières mission director in Sudan.

“Doctors Without Borders was the only international NGO that provided support in Wad Madani. “Our departure leaves a deep void for people who struggle to access health care and live in a very unsafe environment with no transportation options,” she added.

However, in mid-December last year, at least 630,000 people were forced to flee Al Jazirah to other parts of Sudan, many of whom have already been displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

At the end of the month, Médecins Sans Frontières said all staff had been evacuated from Wad Madani after the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked the town, which had until then been controlled by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). .

Since January, the MSF team has been supporting the emergency room, operating room, maternity ward, inpatient department – ​​including pediatrics, therapeutic nutrition center and surgical wards at Madani Teaching Hospital.

We also provided psychological support and care for sexual violence, it said.

Additional support, the medical charity said, had also been provided in the form of training, salary incentives for 240 Ministry of Health (MoH) staff and food for patients.

Between mid-January and the end of April, MSF carried out almost 10,000 outpatient consultations, with malaria being the most common disease treated.

According to the agency, since January, Sudanese authorities have persistently refused travel permits to bring new personnel and medical and logistical supplies to the city.

“Although the humanitarian and medical needs in Wad Madani and Al Jazirah are immense, we have no choice but to immediately stop our work and leave the area,” stressed Viñoles.

She added: “The deliberate administrative blockades, increasing insecurity and constant violation of the hospital as a neutral space made it impossible to continue providing services.”

Meanwhile, MSF said it was ready to return to support the Madani Teaching Hospital and the people of Al Jazirah if the warring parties committed to respecting the hospital’s medical work and ensuring safe and uninterrupted access to the area.

“We call on the RSF to stop violating medical facilities and ensure the safety of Ministry of Health and Médecins Sans Frontières personnel. We also call on the Sudanese government-led military and civilian authorities to issue the necessary travel authorizations for our personnel and supplies,” it said.

MSF currently works in and supports over 30 health facilities in nine states in Sudan.

(ST)