Sudanese Health Minister Haitham Ibrahim on Sunday commended Kuwait’s efforts in providing medical and humanitarian assistance to Sudan, which greatly contributed to bringing medical and drug supply during a time when the crisis faces the country.
In an exclusive interview with KUNA, Ibrahim said that Kuwait provided great assistance that contributed to covering Sudan’s needs for medicine, noting the high-level coordination with the Kuwaiti side, whether with Kuwait’s Ambassador to Sudan Fahad Al-Dhafiri, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health (MoH) or humanitarian organizations in Kuwait.
Kuwait’s help covered a large deficit in surgical contributions and kidney medicines in Sudan, he added, thanking and appreciating the Kuwaiti leadership, government and people for standing with Sudan.
Kuwait has strong ties with Sudan especially in the health field, as the best evidence for this is the Kuwaiti institutions and hospitals that provide services to Sudan, Ibrahim explained.
He hopes for continued Kuwaiti support to cover the needs of the health system and Sudanese hospitals, especially in medicines for tumors, chronic diseases, anesthesia, and public health supplies to combat epidemics and diseases, as well as rebuilding the health system and rehabilitating hospitals after the destruction of medical equipment.
Ibrahim referred to the severe damage to the health system in Sudan during the crisis continuing for the third month in a row, especially in Khartoum and Darfur.
In West Darfur state, for example, Ibrahim said that the health system was completely destroyed in hospitals and the situation is still unstable.
The central hospitals in Khartoum stopped working due to the security situation and the presence of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in many of them, while hospitals on the outskirts of the capital still serve emergency, maternity and basic pediatric services, he stated, noting that North Kordofan state was also affected by the continued military confrontations.
Ibrahim indicated that the Sudanese MoH tended to improve services in the states that witnessed an influx of large numbers of displaced people due to the war, especially the island, Nile River and Red Sea.
The most vital urgent challenges facing the health sector in Sudan currently are the security situation and the instability of the banking system, which led to a decline in financial resources to operate free services in dozens of centers for heart diseases, oncology and dialysis, he indicated.
Since April 15, Sudan has been witnessing clashes between the army and RSF in Khartoum and other cities, which have so far claimed the lives of thousands and led to the displacement of about two and a half million people.
Source: Kuwait News Agency