Supply shortage shuts South Darfur dialysis centre

The kidney dialysis centre of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, was forced to close its doors four days ago because of a shortage of dialysis solution. Director Abdel Rahman Ahmed told reporters on Wednesday that the centre had to cancel all appointments for four consecutive days; 80 patients with kidney failure visit the renal dialysis centre twice a week. Ahmed attributed the crisis to the failure of the South Darfur Ministry of Health in supplying the dialysis solution. The solutions are transported to Nyala from Khartoum. Relatives of the renal patients demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Health in Nyala, blaming it for carelessness and neglect. The South Darfur Minister of Health, Omar Suleiman, denied the accusations. He told reporters in Nyala on Tuesday that the financial responsibility of the dialysis centre lies with the state’s Ministry of Finance.The Finance Ministry procrastinated paying the transfer costs of the solutions by air, because it preferred the cheaper transport over land. The transport was delayed because of what Suleiman called “complications in security in the area”. File photo by Albert González Farran/Unamid