Sudan's health ministry reports that 37 percent of the country's health facilities are out of service as a partially reopened tropical disease hospital in Omdurman illustrates the broader healthcare collapse gripping the Horn of Africa nation.
The Tropical Diseases Teaching Hospital in Omdurman, which had been shuttered for nearly two years due to fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, exemplifies the crisis facing patients across Sudan. Omar Othman, a gold miner diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, faced mounting obstacles as essential medications disappeared from hospital shelves between his first and second visits.
The Sudanese health ministry said this month that 37 percent of the country's health facilities have been rendered non-functional since the war erupted on April 15, 2023, though independent verification across conflict zones is limited. The conflict began following a power struggle between SAF chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.
The healthcare collapse has regional implications as refugee flows strain neighboring countries' medical systems in the Horn of Africa. The World Health Organization documented at least 217 attacks on health infrastructure, resulting in the deaths of 2,052 healthcare workers, while 40 percent of Sudan's 52 million people require urgent medical assistance.
"Given the high rates of malnutrition, a debilitated health system and low immunisation coverage, disease outbreaks will continue to have catastrophic impacts, particularly for children," the WHO warned.
The Omdurman hospital's struggle reflects the systematic destruction of Sudan's medical infrastructure. Abu Bakr Hassan Al-Mubarak, the hospital's Director General, acknowledged that > "huge challenges remain, particularly related to funding and the urgent need to repair damaged wards."
The facility, which treats infectious diseases including malaria, dengue fever, measles, rubella, and cholera, has sustained losses exceeding half a million dollars due to the war. Hasaballah Suleiman, the hospital's Director of Media and Public Relations, noted that patient volume > "puts pressure on already limited equipment, medicines and staff."
For patients like Othman, the deteriorating conditions translate into immediate hardship. While his initial hospital visit involved only a small fee for tests and free treatment, by his second visit essential tuberculosis medication was no longer available, forcing him to purchase it privately at significant cost.
The hospital depends heavily on support from health and humanitarian organizations to meet basic needs, according to Suleiman. Staff members report increasing strain as patient numbers rise while resources dwindle. Rimah Fadl Al-Mawla, an officer in the hospital's Psychological Counselling Centre, described > "growing strain due to rising patient numbers and limited resources."
