Health Minister: War trauma reveals glaring mental healthcare gaps in Sudan – only 22 psychiatrists and one psychiatric hospital remain

Sudan’s Health Minister, Prof Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim, has lamented that the current state of mental health during the ongoing conflict requires urgent interventions, with Sudan seeing an especially sharp increase due to the ongoing war. He called for “a comprehensive national vision for mental health and adequate budget allocations”.

Speaking to the press, the minister said mental health needs have become more visible during the war, particularly among those traumatised by attacks on civilians by the Rapid Support Forces. He underlined the importance of integrating mental-health support into basic healthcare services and training medical personnel to bridge the huge staffing gap — Sudan currently has only 22 psychiatrists.

The announcement came during a meeting of the Federal Emergency Operations Centre in Port Sudan, which reviewed the situation of internally displaced people, the challenges facing the ministry, the urgent needs in displacement camps, and the state of mental health amid the war and its horrors. Sudan’s Federal Ministry of Health reported two deaths and 81 infections from Hepatitis E, even as malaria, dengue fever and cholera rates fall across most states — with the exception of El Gezira, where case numbers continue to rise.

Mental health during the war

Health Minister Prof Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim said the current state of mental health during the ongoing conflict requires urgent interventions. He noted a global rise in mental-health disorders, with Sudan seeing an especially sharp increase, stressing the need for awareness campaigns, early detection and accessible treatment. He called for a comprehensive national vision for mental health and adequate budget allocations.

Speaking to the press, the minister said mental health needs have become more visible during the war, particularly among those traumatised by attacks on civilians by the Rapid Support Forces. He underlined the importance of integrating mental-health support into basic healthcare services and training medical personnel to bridge the huge staffing gap — Sudan currently has only 22 psychiatrists.

The minister also disclosed findings from a field assessment carried out by the Psychiatric Medicine Advisory Council in six states — Khartoum, River Nile, El Gezira, Gedaref, Kassala and Port Sudan — which examined the condition of psychiatric hospitals and treatment centres.

Psychiatric hospitals and centres out of service

He stressed the need to rehabilitate psychiatric wards and hospitals nationwide, noting that the Red Sea State hosts the country’s only functioning psychiatric hospital, which continues to operate with federal support.

The minister also announced a plan to restore services at shuttered psychiatric facilities, foremost among them Tigani El-Mahi Hospital. The plan includes supplying five electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) machines to Tigani El-Mahi, Gedaref, Madani and Port Sudan hospitals to improve patient care.