Sudan’s healthcare system on brink of collapse, MSF warns

What the report says

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is warning that Sudan’s health system is close to collapse as war and shrinking international aid leave millions with less access to care. In a report highlighted by Al Jazeera on Tuesday, the charity said roughly 37 percent of the country’s health facilities are no longer operating, while the UN’s response plan for Sudan is only partially funded.

MSF said the pressure on the remaining facilities is growing as violence and displacement continue in several regions. The group urged governments meeting around the UN General Assembly in New York to protect health funding and provide short-term support for facilities that could shut down. MSF officials also argued that the crisis is not limited to hospitals, noting that food assistance and protection programs are also being reduced.

According to the report, the cuts are linked in part to the end of USAID grants for Sudan in June and lower funding from European institutions over the past year. Al Jazeera noted that global humanitarian aid has fallen sharply and that Sudan has already faced severe hunger and mass displacement during the conflict.

The warning comes as the war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which began in April 2023, continues to drive one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.