Closure of Emergency Department in El-Obeid Following Assault on Female Doctor

moatinoon

The Sudanese Doctors Union announced on Friday that one of the departments of El-Obeid Teaching Hospital in North Kordofan state has ceased operations after a doctor in the department was attacked by a soldier affiliated with government forces.

The Preliminary Committee of the Sudanese Doctors Union, which strongly condemned the assault incident, explained that the doctor faced "a violent attack by a member of the government forces. The assailant first attempted to stab the doctor with a knife, and when she resisted, the situation escalated as he tried to detonate a hand grenade inside the department. Fortunately, bystanders were able to prevent him from doing so. However, he continued his attempt to assault and followed the doctor to the doctors lounge, where he physically attacked her. As a result of this horrifying incident, the doctors decided to evacuate the emergency department."

The committee added that medical personnel are frequently subjected to violations by government forces, and the Ministry of Health is unable to protect its members. Appeals to relevant official authorities to enforce the law protecting doctors and provide the necessary protection to facilitate the provision of healthcare services have yielded no results.

The union urged humanitarian and human rights organizations to exert pressure on the conflicting parties to ensure the safety of medical staff. These professionals are struggling to maintain the provision of healthcare services in a challenging situation, especially in conflict zones and military confrontations since the outbreak of the April 5 war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces in the capital Khartoum and other cities. Medical personnel, hospitals, and health facilities have been subject to attacks and shelling by both sides of the conflict.