Darfur displaced tormented by medicine shortage
Three displaced people of El Salam camp, South Darfur, have died in a week’s time, owing to the spread of diseases and a scarcity of medicines. Mershing camp residents also complained about expensive medicines. A North Darfur Minister acknowledged that the transportation of medicines to camps has been hindered. One of the Sheikhs of El Salam camp, south of Nyala city, reported to Radio Dabanga that the three deaths occurred from 22 to 28 September. The names of the deceased are Hawa Ismail Ahmed Neil (8) and Fatima Juma Mousa (80). One of the dead is a five-day-old baby. The Sheikh added that the heavy rains in mid-September caused the spread of fever in the camp. He revealed that the price of malaria medicines has amounted to SDG 40 ($5.53). He demanded the humanitarian organisations to provide medicines and treatment services in the camp. Malaria and diarrhoea in MershingThe displaced people living in the Mershing locality’s camps, also in South Darfur state, have complained of severe shortages of medicines, and malaria medicines in particular. The coordinator of the camps reported to Radio Dabanga that an increasing number of children suffer from malaria and diarrhoea. He pointed out that the camp residents are unable to buy medicines because of the high prices. The coordinator demanded the health authorities to spray and bridge the water ponds, and provide medicines and mosquito nets to the displaced. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported in September that the number of hepatitis E cases in South Darfur had reached a total of 628 cases, according to the World Health Organization. ‘The number of cases in Kalma and El Salam camps for displaced people are gradually declining, owing to response from humanitarian actors,’ OCHA wrote in its weekly bulletin. The humanitarians still face challenges and constraints, however, including insufficient ground water supplies and a lack of funding. In ten weeks, El Salam has witnessed 67 hepatitis E cases, and Kalma camp 365 cases. North Darfur medicine transport ‘hindered’ In North Darfur, Minister of Health Mohamed Ahmed Abdel Hafiz acknowledged that certain obstacles have hindered the transportation of medicines to localities which are difficult to access by land. He told the Sudan News Agency (Suna) that his Ministry’s department of emergency and humanitarian operations has managed to respond to diarrhoea and hepatitis reports it received from localities and camps in North Darfur. Abdel Hafiz stressed that various localities and camps have “stable conditions” and are free of infectious diseases. File photo: A mother and her child sleep in a bed, in a clinic run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in El Geneina, West Darfur, 2004 (by Didier Ruef) Related: ‘Epidemic diseases, food shortages’ in Kass camps, South Darfur (19 September 2014) Passengers shot at North Darfur militia ‘toll gate’ (10 August 2014)
Three displaced people of El Salam camp, South Darfur, have died in a week’s time, owing to the spread of diseases and a scarcity of medicines. Mershing camp residents also complained about expensive medicines. A North Darfur Minister acknowledged that the transportation of medicines to camps has been hindered.
One of the Sheikhs of El Salam camp, south of Nyala city, reported to Radio Dabanga that the three deaths occurred from 22 to 28 September. The names of the deceased are Hawa Ismail Ahmed Neil (8) and Fatima Juma Mousa (80). One of the dead is a five-day-old baby.
The Sheikh added that the heavy rains in mid-September caused the spread of fever in the camp. He revealed that the price of malaria medicines has amounted to SDG 40 ($5.53). He demanded the humanitarian organisations to provide medicines and treatment services in the camp.
Malaria and diarrhoea in Mershing
The displaced people living in the Mershing locality’s camps, also in South Darfur state, have complained of severe shortages of medicines, and malaria medicines in particular. The coordinator of the camps reported to Radio Dabanga that an increasing number of children suffer from malaria and diarrhoea. He pointed out that the camp residents are unable to buy medicines because of the high prices. The coordinator demanded the health authorities to spray and bridge the water ponds, and provide medicines and mosquito nets to the displaced.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported in September that the number of hepatitis E cases in South Darfur had reached a total of 628 cases, according to the World Health Organization. ‘The number of cases in Kalma and El Salam camps for displaced people are gradually declining, owing to response from humanitarian actors,’ OCHA wrote in its weekly bulletin. The humanitarians still face challenges and constraints, however, including insufficient ground water supplies and a lack of funding. In ten weeks, El Salam has witnessed 67 hepatitis E cases, and Kalma camp 365 cases.
North Darfur medicine transport ‘hindered’
In North Darfur, Minister of Health Mohamed Ahmed Abdel Hafiz acknowledged that certain obstacles have hindered the transportation of medicines to localities which are difficult to access by land.
He told the Sudan News Agency (Suna) that his Ministry’s department of emergency and humanitarian operations has managed to respond to diarrhoea and hepatitis reports it received from localities and camps in North Darfur. Abdel Hafiz stressed that various localities and camps have “stable conditions” and are free of infectious diseases.
File photo: A mother and her child sleep in a bed, in a clinic run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in El Geneina, West Darfur, 2004 (by Didier Ruef)
Related:
‘Epidemic diseases, food shortages’ in Kass camps, South Darfur (19 September 2014)
Passengers shot at North Darfur militia ‘toll gate’ (10 August 2014)
and then