North Darfur malaria cases soar to 13,000 amid medicine shortage

September 24, 2023 (EL FASHER) – A North Darfur state official revealed on Sunday that malaria cases have surged to 13,000 in El Fasher, the state capital, amid a severe shortage of medicines.

El Fasher’s health system is at risk of collapse, with most hospitals out of service due to armed clashes since last April. The Rapid Support Forces have also occupied the children’s hospital and turned it into a military barracks.

Ahmed Mohamed Al-Doma, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Health in North Darfur State, told Sudan Tribune that “the number of people infected with malaria in El Fasher has increased significantly, with the Ministry of Health recording about 13,000 cases among the city’s residents.”

Al-Doma explained that the situation is exacerbated by a severe shortage of malaria medicines for children under five years of age, the lack of emergency medicines, the lack of support from international organizations to confront epidemics, and the failure to pay workers’ wages for a long period.

He revealed that his ministry has drawn up a plan to combat malaria and epidemics with the support of the local government and some international organizations. However, he said that “the banks’ cessation of work prevents the organizations from committing to their financial pledges towards supporting the health sector.”

Al-Doma pointed out that the French organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) plans to open four centres to treat malaria cases in El Fasher.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by a parasite called Plasmodium. The United Nations says that 80% of health facilities in Sudan have stopped serving due to bombing, forced evictions, and lack of medical supplies.