Sudan: Three or four patients sharing single beds amid ‘systematic destruction’ of healthcare

A report released by Islamic Relief on Thursday stated that Sudan's war-torn healthcare system is nearing collapse, with a dire situation where three to four patients are sharing a single bed. The organization pointed out that the ongoing conflict has led to a massive influx of displaced families, and the collapse of medical infrastructure has made it impossible to meet the surging demand, with limited medical resources already overwhelmed. This situation highlights the urgent need for international assistance to bolster Sudan's healthcare capacity.

In eastern Sudan, overwhelmed healthcare workers described the local plight: patients are either turned away or left to wait on the ground to die. Dr. Abdalbasit Alameen Mohamed Adallah, Director of Al-Gedaref Teaching Hospital, told Islamic Relief that the number of displaced people seeking treatment is increasing at two to three times the rate of new hospital beds being added. This discrepancy underscores the critical gap between the needs of the population and the available resources.

Dr. Adallah emphasized: "The current medical situation is very dire. Existing hospitals are bearing the full burden of displacement caused by the conflict. After the recent displacement events, the number of patients has increased exponentially. Now, two to three patients have to squeeze into one bed to receive treatment, some can only be on the sofa, and some, if they have somewhere to go, we can only prescribe medicine and let them leave. People are even begging for prescriptions." He also mentioned a severe shortage of medicines needed for critical emergency treatments, including infusions and laboratory tests, further compounding the crisis.

Dr. Adallah further noted: "Medical facilities across Sudan have been systematically destroyed. Most medical personnel have also been displaced, and many hospitals have been completely destroyed, leading to a complete paralysis of medical services. Since the beginning of the war, Gedaref has borne the greatest pressure from displaced people from Khartoum and Gezira states, where half of the population, including the elderly, children, and patients with chronic diseases, have been displaced to Gedaref, which is a huge number." Islamic Relief stated that many doctors and medical staff have fled the country after facing violence, attacks, infrastructure destruction, and corruption, exacerbating the shortage of healthcare professionals.

According to a report by Insecurity Insight, between April 2023 and December 2024, since the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began engaging in combat, a total of 542 attacks on medical facilities have occurred. In these attacks, 122 medical personnel were killed, 90 were arrested, medical facilities such as clinics and hospitals were damaged 136 times, and 51 times they were used for non-medical purposes. Insecurity Insight believes that nearly two-thirds of these attacks should be attributed to the RSF. Since April 2023, Sudan has been mired in a brutal civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. According to data from the United Nations Refugee Agency, the country has fallen into a humanitarian crisis, with a total of 12.5 million Sudanese displaced, highlighting the devastating impact of the conflict on the civilian population.