Sudanese hospital’s paediatric section now five days on strike

The paediatric section at Kassala Teaching Hospital has entered its fifth day of protests against the deterioration of the health environment in the hospital, a severe lack of available doctors, and shortage of beds.

Residents of Kassala told Radio Dabanga that there has been a terrible deterioration of the paediatric section at Kassala Hospital in eastern Sudan. They also said that the strike has led to complete paralysis in the paediatric section, forcing the patients to go to Kassala Kuwaiti Paediatrics Hospital instead.

A week ago, the paediatricians submitted a memorandum giving the Sudan Health Ministry three days to respond to demands by doctors and assistant staff to address the problems: sanitation, lighting and oxygen supply, the establishment of a doctors' hostel, along with other demands.

Strike in West Kordofan

In En Nahud, a number of medics have gone on strike in the past month, including the deputy specialists of El Bashir Medical Centre in West Kordofan, who called-out a strike in protest against the storming of their residence.

In a statement, deputy specialists of surgery, anaesthesia, radiology, and ultrasound called for the dismissal the director-general of the hospital, and to provide them with adequate housing and improve the working environment.

Northern State

On Sunday 18 November, the nurses of Dongola Teaching Hospital in Sudan’s Northern State also entered into an open-ended strike because of non-payment of their October incentives. Activists told Radio Dabanga that the strike led to complete paralysis and deterioration of health conditions in the hospital.

The hospital has been without a medical director or administrator amid lack of the most basic elements for six months. They explained that the authorities have blamed the non-payment on a lack of liquidity in the town.