ReliefWeb

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Health Sector estimates that about 206,000 people in Darfur are unable to access health services due to the suspension of ICRC activities and withdrawal of support to health facilities by NGOs.

• Thousands of farmers in Central Darfur are left without agricultural support this year following the suspension of ICRC activities.

• The Governments of Sudan and South Sudan signed a MoU on the delivery of humanitarian aid to South Sudan via Sudan.

• NFI stock levels are alarmingly low in El Obeid and Darfur, while NFI supplies procured by UNHCR are being held by Sudanese customs authorities.

Healthcare systems in Darfur overstretched

According to the Health Sector in Sudan, the health delivery systems in Darfur are severely overstretched. This is due to an additional caseload of newly displaced people in camps across Darfur. The quality of healthcare provided is suffering due to a decrease in the number of implementing partners, inadequate resources and insufficient capacities of State Ministries of Health (SMoH), the Health Sector reported. By 13 July, about 266,000 people in Darfur remain displaced following a wave of violence that started earlier this year, with the majority of people fleeing to established camps in Darfur.

At least 206,000 people in Darfur have no access to healthcare services

The Health Sector estimates that, in total, about 206,000 affected people have been unable to access healthcare services due to the suspension of the International Committee of the Red Cross’ (ICRC) operations and NGOs (mentioned below) withdrawing their health services due to funding and other issues.

The suspension of ICRC activities has led to the disruption of support provided to two health centres in South Darfur (Sania Deleiba and Yara) and five health centres in Central Darfur (Gorni, Guldo, Galol, Abata and Fasi), affecting about 138,000 people. In addition, the disruption of returnee health services at four locations in Bileil locality in South Darfur (Um Gunya, Marla, Magarin and Hijair) after the withdrawal of the international NGO MERLIN in February 2014 has affected an estimated 20,000 people.
The withdrawal of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) – Belgium (MSF-B) from Shaeria locality in East Darfur has affected the delivery of health services in Khazan Jadid, where more than 20,000 people now have no access to healthcare. The national NGO Patient Helping Fund has announced that it is to close its health facility in Alsalam camp in North Darfur due to insufficient funding, affecting 28,000 people, according to the health sector.

This comes at a time when the health sector is seeking an additional US $4 million from donors to ensure the delivery of primary healthcare services in Darfur’s more remote areas. Under the revised 2014 Strategic Response Plan for Sudan (Work Plan), the overall funding needs of the Health Sector are estimated at $65.2 million.