Sudan's Kidney Patients in Crisis as 24 Dialysis Centers Shut Down Amid Conflict

The Sudanese Ministry of Health acknowledged on Thursday a significant increase in kidney patient fatalities due to a scarcity of medications, resulting from the closure of 24 dialysis centers in the capital, Khartoum. The city has been the epicenter of armed clashes between army forces and the Rapid Support Forces since April of the previous year.

Zikra Siddiq Al-Safi, the Kidney Emergency Director at the Sudanese Ministry of Health, reported that approximately 24 out of 34 dialysis centers in Khartoum have been shut down since the country plunged into conflict.

She noted that the operational centers (Bashayer, Turkish, Al-Jereif East, Al-Ban Jadeed, Muzdalifah, Al-Nu, Jazeera Aslang, Omdurman, Al-Rajhi, Medical Corps) are experiencing shortages in dialysis medications, sterilization supplies, and operational funds.

According to the Emergency Director, these functioning centers are witnessing an influx of kidney failure patients amid a severe shortage of medications, exacerbating the mortality rates among the patients.

Since the outbreak of war in April of the previous year, the Sudanese population has been facing dire humanitarian and health conditions. The escalating clashes between the army forces and the Rapid Support Forces have led to the death of 12,000 civilians and displaced or forced into refuge approximately 10 million people, including 3 million children, according to official United Nations statistics.