ALBAWABA - Medical care charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced that it had been forced to close the only functional hospital for the hundreds of thousands of people in dire need of medical assistance in the capital of Al Jazirah state, Sudan.
The MSF called for the warring parties to ensure the safety of medical personnel and avoid violating health facilities in addition to granting the necessary travel permits for its staff and supplies.
The extremely difficult decision to leave Wad Madani, according to MSF, was made after more than three months of relentless difficulties in trying to provide medical care at the hospital.
These difficulties included the area's increasing levels of insecurity, our inability to bring in additional staff and medical supplies because travel permits were being denied, and frequent security incidents that interfered with our ability to provide care, like harassment and looting.
The operations manager for MSF in Sudan, Mari Carmen Viñoles, released a statement warning of the dire situation in the area: "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,".
"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," Viñoles added.
By January 13, MSF was able to return with a team to Wad Madani, one of the most populous cities in Sudan, where several hundred thousand people still lived.
Since then, MSF has provided support to the Madani Teaching Hospital's maternity, operation room, emergency room, and inpatient department, which includes pediatrics, the therapeutic feeding center, adult and surgical wards, and pharmacy. They also offered treatment for sexual assault and mental health support.
