Sudanese Doctors Committee reports excess security in hospitals

Yesterday, the Sudanese Doctors Committee reported an excess of security and police forces in hospitals, as doctors announced continuation of strikes in Omdurman and further afield.

In their report, the committee explained that there is an excess of security and police forces in hospitals in Port Sudan, Nyala, and Khartoum. The committee also pointed to an intensive presence of security forces inside and around hospitals in Khartoum North (Bahri), where tear gas canisters were thrown into Bahri Teaching Hospital on Sunday.

The doctors announced the extension of the comprehensive strike on all cases in Omdurman Teaching Hospital and Mohamed El Amin Hamid children's hospitals for another 48 hours starting on Sunday as a result of non-implementation of their demands.

The Omdurman Medical Committee announced a comprehensive strike on Thursday for two days in protest against the security forces’ storming of the campus of the hospital and the Mohamed El Amin Hamid Hospital in the neighbourhood and the firing of bullets and tear gas inside of the hospitals, as well as the arrest of doctors.

The committee conditioned the lift of the strike with holding those involved accountable, conducting the necessary investigations, and providing protection from the military police.

According to the Sudanese Doctors Syndicate, the current situation makes it impossible for the Sudanese doctors to conduct their ethical and professional duties.

As the doctors were the first of trade union workers to go on strike, a series of detentions ensued; several hospitals have been stormed by security forces, to detain both doctors and wounded patients from emergency departments. Many doctors who have been detained are still unreachable. 

Pharmacies strike

On Saturday, dozens of pharmacies in Sudan staged a partial strike from 10am to 4pm that will continue until Sunday, while continuing to work in emergency pharmacies in solidarity with the popular protests.

The Sudanese Central Pharmacists Committee confirmed that 400 pharmacies in Khartoum and El Gadaref had closed in response to calls for strikes in solidarity with the popular protests that have entered their fourth week.

The Central Committee of Pharmacists condemned the killing of demonstrators and the storming of hospitals’ emergency departments. Members of various professional associations and trade unions have joined the call for these peaceful protests to object the unprecedented collapse of the public sector and the lack of public services provision in the public facilities.