MSF forced to suspend essential support in Wad Madani hospital
May 8, 2024 (PORT SUDAN/BARCELONA) – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said it has been forced to suspend work and withdraw its staff from Madani Teaching Hospital, the only functional medical facility for hundreds of thousands of people in dire need of medical assistance in the capital of Sudan’s Al Jazirah state.
This difficult decision, the medical charity said in a statement comes after more than three months of relentless challenges trying to provide care at the hospital.
MSF said it has been unable to bring new staff and medical supplies into the area due to the denial of travel permits, and faced repeated security incidents, such as looting and harassment, affecting our ability to provide medical care.
The medical charity thus expressed concerns over growing insecurity in the area.
It urged the warring parties to stop violating health facilities, guarantee the safety of medical personnel and grant the necessary travel permits for staff and supplies.
“The health system and basic services in Al Jazirah state have collapsed as a consequence of the fighting and the systematic blockade on supplies and personnel entering the area,” says Mari Carmen Viñoles, operations manager for MSF in Sudan.
“MSF was the only international NGO providing some support in Wad Madani. Our departure leaves a deep void for people struggling to access healthcare and living in a very insecure environment without transportation to move around,” she added.
In mid-December last year, however, at least 630,000 people were forced to flee Al Jazirah towards other parts of Sudan, many of whom has already been displaced, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
At the end of that month, MSF said it evacuated all staff from Wad Madani following the offensive from the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the city, which until then, had been controlled by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF).
Since January, the MSF team have been supporting the emergency room, operation theatre, maternity, inpatient department – including paediatrics, the therapeutic feeding centre and surgical wards at Madani Teaching Hospital.
We also provided mental health support and care for sexual violence, it noted.
Addition support, the medical charity said, were also provided in form of training, salary incentives to 240 Ministry of Health (MoH) staff as well as food for patients.
Between mid-January and the end of April, MSF said it provided nearly 10,000 outpatient consultations, with malaria said to be the most common illness treated.
According to the agency, since January, Sudanese authorities have persistently denied travel permits to bring new staff, medical and logistic supplies into the city.
“While the humanitarian and medical needs in Wad Madani and Al Jazirah are immense, we have no other option than to stop our work immediately and leave the area,” stressed Viñoles.
She added, “The deliberate administrative blockages, the increasing insecurity, and the constant violations of the hospital as a neutral space made it impossible to continue providing services.”
Meanwhile, the MSF said it is willing to return to support Madani Teaching Hospital and people in Al Jazirah if the warring parties commit to respecting its medical work and ensure safe and uninterrupted access to the area.
“We call on the RSF to stop violating medical facilities and guarantee the safety of MoH and MSF personnel. We also call on the Government of Sudan-led military and civilian authorities to grant the necessary travel permits for our staff and supplies,” it stated.
MSF currently works in and supports over 30 health facilities in nine states in Sudan.
(ST)