‘Sudan’s health sector plagued by poor funding – TB, HIV/AIDS on the rise’: Health Minister

Cases of tuberculosis, infections with HIV/AIDS, and malnutrition among children have increased in Sudan during the first quarter of this year, Minister of Health Bahar Idris Abugarda told parliament on Monday.

According to the Health Ministry 11,550 new cases of tuberculosis and 972 cases of HIV/AIDS have been recorded in the past six months, while the number of children with acute malnutrition has increased to 62% during the quarter, which is a cumulative increase of 15.3%, and average malnutrition rate of 36.3% in the quarter and 9% cumulative growth of 31.7% and 8% in the first quarter of this year.

Speaking to parliament, Minister Abugarda spoke about the discovery of 6,315 tuberculosis cases of all types, while the cumulative number of cases until the first quarter of 2017 were 21,083, compared with 5,235 in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Poor funding

The Health Minister acknowledged to parliament that coverage of mass therapy campaigns for schistosomiasis, leishmaniosis, viscera, and kalazar has decreased from 67.1% to 50.6% due to poor funding.

The cumulative increase in the HIV infection rate has risen from 11.5% at the end of the third quarter of 2016 to 26.1% at the end of the fourth quarter of the same year, the number of positive examination of 870 individuals by 2.6%, while the number of cases recorded in the fourth quarter of last year were 903, 628 new cases of treatment and treatment centres were recorded, accounting for 69.5% of all new recorded infections.

He said the percentage of people infected with the HIV virus who are undergoing antiretroviral therapy is currently 10.75% of the total number of AIDS infections expected in the country.

Malaria

He revealed that spread of malaria to 5.9% in 2016 compared to 3.3% in 2012 and 18% in 2009.

The Minister complained about the continued migration of health facilities from hospitals to ministries, weak state commitment to provide local components, jobs to accommodate health settings as well as overlapping competencies between different levels in some programmes.