Sudanese health official resigns in a dispute over wounded Yemenis treated in local hospitals
September 21, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The director of Emergency Management & Humanitarian Work at the Sudanese Ministry of Health tendered his resignation and withdrew from a committee tasked with receiving wounded Yemenis after verbal altercations between the health minister of state Sumaya Idriss and staff at southern Khartoum hospital following the arrival of a second plane carrying Yemenis injured in the ongoing conflict.
According to an informed source who spoke to Sudan Tribune the crisis erupted last Wednesday between the state minister and senior officials at the ministry and medical personnel at the hospital who were called in after the take-off of a civilian plane carrying new batch of wounded Yemenis without coordination with Sudanese authorities.
The source said that the medical staff rejected the manner by which the state minister addressed them and a clash ensued after which Idriss directed all the medical staff to be thrown outside the hospital.
But the director of Emergency Management & Humanitarian Work Ahmed Mohamed Zakaria and director of the hospital management at the Ministry of Health in Khartoum state Youssef Tibin rejected the order saying it goes against the rules and regulations.
The staff eventually left the hospital on their own and were joined by the hospital director Dr. Mahjoub Fudaili in an act of solidarity.
On Thursday morning, Zakaria who heads the ministry’s largest department, officially announced his resignation and withdrawal from the committee on wounded Yemenis.
The source said Zakaria’s resignation will negatively impact the process of receiving wounded Yemenis as he was handling this dossier since its inception and worked through the challenges of accommodating the injured and requesting private hospitals to take in some with the Saudi government picking the tab.
(ST)