Sudan: UN, Italy sign €4.2 mln grant to upgrade healthcare in Kassala

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) have signed an agreement for €4.2 million to enhance the quality of healthcare services in Kassala, Sudan.

The project aims to improve the uptake and quality of healthcare services as well as provide a safe environment for patients with disabilities to access quality healthcare services.

An official statement by the UN in Sudan this week says that UNOPS will construct the two main roads at Kassala Hospital connecting the general surgery unit, the maternity hospital, the blood bank, and the diagnostic centre. The project will also include external paving and rehabilitation of the areas between the blood bank, the diagnostic centre, and the new paediatric unit. In addition, UNOPS will build the second part of the first phase of the general surgery unit with a total construction area of 2,750 square meters.

The project is projected to  benefit 2.8 million people. Cross-cutting issues like equity and gender will be at the centre of the project, the UN statement says.

The Italian Ambassador to Sudan, Michele Tommasi, pointed out that Italy is one of the leading donors in terms of financial assistance provided to support Sudan in various sectors. These sectors include health, social inclusion, disability, gender equality, economic progress, agriculture, and preservation of cultural and archaeological heritage. Among the most important initiatives, Italy is funding the creation of the Kassala Health Citadel.

Michele Morana, Director of AICS Khartoum, stated that the Italian agency has been unwavering in its efforts to support Sudan: “We have intensified our support and localized it in the eastern states of the country, where the Italian cooperation has a long-lasting presence and strong relationships with the Sudanese authorities, based on mutual trust and collaboration.”

Hostilities

The war in Sudan that broke out in mid-April severely impacts all aspects of healthcare across Sudan. As previously reported by Radio Dabanga, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced the suspension its support of surgical operations at Bashayer Teaching Hospital in southern Khartoum, due to a critical shortage of necessary supplies that has persisted for a month.

Cases of dengue fever and cholera continue to spread across Sudan. The federal Ministry of Health announced that 3,414 cases of dengue fever were recorded, including 38 deaths, in the period from April 15 to October 20 in nine states.

Sudan healthcare falters

As reported by Radio Dabanga in September, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) warn that more than 10,000 children will die by the end of this year as a result of attacks and disruptions to health and nutrition services in Sudan.

The two groups said in a joint statement that the six-month conflict in Sudan puts the lives of millions of children at risk of cholera, dengue, measles, malaria, and other diseases, noting that organisations face increasing challenges due to safety and security constraints, access, and resources.

UNICEF and the WHO point out that about 70 per cent of hospitals in conflict-affected areas are not functioning, the statement said. WHO has verified 58 attacks on healthcare facilities so far, resulting in 31 deaths and 38 injuries among health workers and patients.

The statement noted that the rainy season creates a favourable space for the spread of waterborne and vector diseases. He noted that the high risk of death due to obstetric complications, low vaccination, disease outbreaks and malnutrition is increasing rapidly.

About 700,000 children suffer from severe acute malnutrition, and 100,000 children need life-saving treatment for acute malnutrition with medical complications. “Maternal, new-born, and infant health and nutrition services – a lifeline in a country where nearly 14 million children need urgent humanitarian support – have been destroyed in some areas,” said Mandeep O’Brien, UNICEF representative in Sudan. “Health workers haven’t been paid for months. Supplies are exhausted. Critical infrastructure continues to be attacked.”