Acute shortage of medics in North Darfur

The hospitals in North Darfur are facing an acute shortage of specialists, doctors and assisting technical staff, state government statistics revealed. Especially in specialisations of heart surgery, internal medicine, gynaecology and paediatrics, there is a large shortage. The government statistics showed that there is a one specialist in heart diseases, one in internal medicine and urology, and one gynaecologist in the whole state. The shortage has led to the death of many patients who could not afford to travel to Khartoum for treatment. The director-general of North Darfur’s Ministry of Health, Dr Khaled Hamed Abdelnabi, stated that his ministry had signed a number of agreements with specialists and doctors to work in the state. They however, all left and migrated to Saudi Arabia. North Darfur residents appealed via Radio Dabanga to the state government and its Ministry of Health to financially prioritise the health sector. “Health care should be a top priority.” File photo: Waiting room near a clinic in Darfur (Radio Dabanga)