Malaria cases drive-up demand for drugs in Central Darfur

An outbreak of malaria in Central Darfur has driven-up the treatment costs for people without health insurance.

Listeners in Central Darfur told Radio Dabanga that the disease has become “endemic”: “Each house has at least one person infected with malaria,” a resident said.

“Zalingei Hospital is overcrowded with patients, as the wards cannot accommodate the patients, especially children.” He added that there is a poor health environment in the hospital where mosquitoes can easily spread.

The rise of treatment costs has become unaffordable for people without health insurance cards. A medical source in the state reported that those without card have to pay about SDG80 ($13): 15 ($2.40) pounds for medical examination and 65 pounds ($10.60) for treatment.

The Federal Health Minister, Bahar Idris Abu Garda, accused entities he did not identify of favouring their own interests by storing free medicines of the states and increasing their prices. Upon meeting with representatives of the Legislative Council in North Darfur, Abu Garda said that 80 per cent of the population in Darfur receive treatment outside hospitals.

He denied rumours that medical devices and equipment provided to North Darfur have been sold in markets.

The Undersecretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Essam Abdallah, acknowledged that there is a problem in monitoring and managing medicines in the states, along with medicine smuggling in the border states.

The legislative council delegation in North Darfur has called for the need to provide free medicines for children.