The World Health Organization has warned Thursday that the relentless fighting raging in Sudan since April limits access to medicines, medical supplies, electricity and water, expecting malnutrition to reach 39 percent of the population over the next six months.
“The conflict in Sudan limits the provision of health care in the states directly affected by the conflict,” Ahmed Al-Mandhari, regional director of the World Health Organization's office for the Eastern Mediterranean said.
Even in Sudanese states that did not witness any fighting, they suffer from lack of supplies, especially with the influx of displaced people from conflict zones, he said.
The WHO regional director stated that violence in Sudan has killed 1,205 people and injured 12,200 people until early August.
Al-Mandhari also noted that due to the conflict and displacement, there are 24.7 million people in need of humanitarian aid in Sudan, with 18.1 million people now targeted to receive humanitarian aid as per the revised Humanitarian Response Plan launched in May 2023.
Meanwhile, an estimated 11 million people in Sudan need urgent health assistance.
Moreover, about 4 million children, and pregnant and breastfeeding women, are acutely malnourished, and over 100 000 under-five children with severe acute malnutrition with medical complications need specialized care at stabilization centers.
Al-Mandhari expected that the malnutrition rate for the next six months would reach 39 percent in Sudan.
Hospitals, ambulances, supplies, warehouses, health workers and patients have been attacked in Sudan; WHO verified 51 attacks between 15 April and 24 July 2023.
The WHO regional director warned that four states hosting the influx of people from Sudan suffer from the risks of diseases spreading, including malaria and cholera.
Al-Mandhari said the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region and WHO Regional Office for Africa are coordinating the health response across borders in neighboring countries for health care, including emergency care and psychosocial support for Sudanese and other nationals fleeing the fighting in Sudan.
He also said that WHO is responding in each country by working with Ministries of Health and partner organizations to coordinate the health response, providing emergency medical supplies for trauma victims as well as basic mental healthcare, and disease prevention activities.
With medical supplies in high-demand, Al-Mandhari said WHO also helps procure and deliver the most needed items to hospitals and clinics.
He said WHO remains committed to guarantee the delivery of healthcare services and vital medical supplies to the affected population in Sudan.
Health workers are trained by WHO to treat people and save lives, including more than 2.2 million people displaced within Sudan, Al-Mandhari affirmed.
