‘NGO expulsions harm Darfur healthcare’: Health Sector Sudan
About 206,000 people have no access to healthcare services in Darfur, owing to the suspension of the International Committee of the Red Cross and other NGOs, the Health Sector in Sudan stated. The health delivery systems in Darfur are “severely overstretched” following the upsurge in newly internally displaced people in the camps. It further reported that the quality of the healthcare in Darfur is “suffering”, owing to a decrease in partners and resources. The Sudanese government suspended the Red Cross (ICRC) on 1 February this year, following technical issues about its activities in Sudan. This disrupted the support provided to two health centres in South Darfur -Sani Deleiba and Yara- and five centres in Central Darfur. This affected “about 138,000 people”, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) quotes the Health Sector in its newest weekly bulletin. Also farmers in Central Darfur were affected, as the Red Cross did not assist in the distribution of seeds any more. It had provided nearly 50 percent of all the distributed seeds during the planting season last year. “The new shortage will likely affect the food security in Central Darfur,” according to OCHA. Suspension of Merlin and MSF After the expulsion of the British-based NGO Merlin in South Darfur’s Bielel locality in April, “20,000 people were affected”. The Health Sector further estimated that the withdrawal of the NGOs Médecins Sans Frontières-Belgium (MSF-B) in 2009 from Sheiria locality, East Darfur, as well as Patient Helping Fund in North Darfur’s El Salam camp, “affected 48,000 people”. A team of MSF-B, however, visited Kalma camp in South Darfur on Wednesday, announcing they will soon resume their operations at the camp, a camp leader told Radio Dabanga.According to OCHA, 397,057 have been displaced since the beginning of 2014. The figure is in addition to some 2 million people in Darfur facing long-term displacement, having fled their homes at the height of the conflict in 2003-2005. Health Sector funding drops Meanwhile, the Health Sector is seeking $4 million from donors, on top of its estimated funding needs of $65.2 million under the 2014 Strategic Response Plan for Sudan. By 13 July 2014, the Health Sector is 23 percent funded, while the Response Plan is 45 percent funded; a sharp drop for the Health Sector compared to the three preceding years. (File photo ICRC)Related: MSF to return to South Darfur’s Kalma camp (17 July 2014) Aid organisations access parts of Darfur’s Jebel Marra (10 July 2014) ‘Suspension has severe humanitarian impact’: Red Cross in Sudan (20 May 2014) ‘Legal technicality’ leads to expulsion of NGO Merlin from West Darfur (17 April 2014) Sudan 2014 Humanitarian Plan launched in Khartoum (3 April 2014)
About 206,000 people have no access to healthcare services in Darfur, owing to the suspension of the International Committee of the Red Cross and other NGOs, the Health Sector in Sudan stated. The health delivery systems in Darfur are “severely overstretched” following the upsurge in newly internally displaced people in the camps. It further reported that the quality of the healthcare in Darfur is “suffering”, owing to a decrease in partners and resources.
The Sudanese government suspended the Red Cross (ICRC) on 1 February this year, following technical issues about its activities in Sudan. This disrupted the support provided to two health centres in South Darfur -Sani Deleiba and Yara- and five centres in Central Darfur. This affected “about 138,000 people”, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) quotes the Health Sector in its newest weekly bulletin.
Also farmers in Central Darfur were affected, as the Red Cross did not assist in the distribution of seeds any more. It had provided nearly 50 percent of all the distributed seeds during the planting season last year. “The new shortage will likely affect the food security in Central Darfur,” according to OCHA.
Suspension of Merlin and MSF
After the expulsion of the British-based NGO Merlin in South Darfur’s Bielel locality in April, “20,000 people were affected”. The Health Sector further estimated that the withdrawal of the NGOs Médecins Sans Frontières-Belgium (MSF-B) in 2009 from Sheiria locality, East Darfur, as well as Patient Helping Fund in North Darfur’s El Salam camp, “affected 48,000 people”.
A team of MSF-B, however, visited Kalma camp in South Darfur on Wednesday, announcing they will soon resume their operations at the camp, a camp leader told Radio Dabanga.
According to OCHA, 397,057 have been displaced since the beginning of 2014. The figure is in addition to some 2 million people in Darfur facing long-term displacement, having fled their homes at the height of the conflict in 2003-2005.
Health Sector funding drops
Meanwhile, the Health Sector is seeking $4 million from donors, on top of its estimated funding needs of $65.2 million under the 2014 Strategic Response Plan for Sudan. By 13 July 2014, the Health Sector is 23 percent funded, while the Response Plan is 45 percent funded; a sharp drop for the Health Sector compared to the three preceding years.
(File photo ICRC)
Related:
MSF to return to South Darfur’s Kalma camp (17 July 2014)
Aid organisations access parts of Darfur’s Jebel Marra (10 July 2014)
‘Suspension has severe humanitarian impact’: Red Cross in Sudan (20 May 2014)
‘Legal technicality’ leads to expulsion of NGO Merlin from West Darfur (17 April 2014)
Sudan 2014 Humanitarian Plan launched in Khartoum (3 April 2014)
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