Half of Darfuris lack access to health care

The Sudanese federal ministry of health and its partners from the international community on Khartoum revealed that half of the population in Darfur do not have access to primary health care, Radio Dabanga has learned on Thursday, 18 October. As a result, the ministry announced it will work to improve the health sector in all of the five states of Darfur together with its partners, and include relief and emergency initiatives. In addition, the international community will develop an early recovery plan for the health sector in Darfur that will be submitted during the donors’ conference in Doha, in December, it was stated. According to the ministry, the implementation of all projects will exceed 300 million dollars and will comprise more than 500 health facilities. West Darfur minister of health In a press conference, West Darfur minister of health, Ahmed Ishag Ya’goub, confirmed the poor health services in all five states, adding that West Darfur lags behind all of them. He said that the spread of malaria and of mosquitoes is very high, stating that El-Geneina hospital is one of the main causes for the spread of diseases, as “a patient goes to the hospital with one disease and returns with another”. He attributed this problem also to the sewage system that adjoins a nearby valley and that affects the quality of the drinking water. Therefore, the minister demanded that an alternative hospital be established, with basic health care services and a central ambulance. However, he also mentioned that problems such as lack of paved roads and security problems have an impact on health services in the state.  Related content: ‘Catastrophic’ medical services in Darfur region (18 September 2012)                                    Health intervention in 4 states (11 October 2012)