Dr Ahmed Abd-elrahman is a Sudanese doctor who has worked with MSF for more than 17 years, including assignments in Somalia, Pakistan, Libya. He is currently Director of Operations at MSF Brussels and is directly supporting MSF teams in Sudan.
“Our surgical team in Khartoum, for example, has been operating non-stop for more than ten days. If we are unable to rotate in another team, it may not be possible to continue these crucial activities.”
“Our teams are witnessing on a daily basis the direct impact of ongoing fighting on people in Khartoum and in Darfur, and the health consequences of displacement in areas such as Wad Madani. In Wad Madani, Al-Jazeera state, the health system is under extreme pressure. MSF’s mobile clinics have seen over 1,000 patients in just a few weeks. In Khartoum, the MSF surgical team has treated over 400 trauma patients since 9 May.”
“Although we have been able to bring in some supplies into the country access remains very challenging. There has not been the possibility of unhindered movement from points of entry to places where the supplies are needed,” says Abd-elrahman.
“Even more worryingly, across Sudan many medical facilities have been left short-staffed as people flee to safety. The few remaining dedicated humanitarian staff who have been able to come into Sudan are working under extreme pressure and we have been struggling to reinforce our teams by bringing in additional international staff over the past two weeks,” continues Abd-elrahman.
“While we managed to obtain few visas recently, we need urgently more.”
