Two-Thirds of Newborns in the New Year Wont Receive Medical Care

moatinoon
The organization Save the Children has stated that approximately two-thirds of the children expected to be born in the next three months, along with their mothers, will not receive any medical care. The first four weeks after birth are the most critical period for the lives of both the mother and the newborn in a country that already had one of the highest maternal mortality rates globally before the war.

Dr. Aref Noor, the Country Director for Save the Children in Sudan, said, "When the conflict erupted in April, millions of people were pushed into hell. Tens of thousands of new lives will be born amid this suffering—more than half of them will not receive healthcare."

The organization explained that around 30,000 infants out of 45,000 expected births in the next three months across the country will be born without their mothers having access to hospitals or clinics, and they will not receive any form of healthcare. This accounts for 65% of the births during the first quarter of the new year.

Estimates suggest that about 25,000 pregnant women are moving around Sudan within groups of displaced people and are likely to be isolated from the necessary health and nutrition services required for the growth of their children.

After months of violence, the healthcare sector has nearly collapsed. Conflict parties continue to target healthcare workers, supplies, and health facilities. Open health facilities suffer from a shortage of medical supplies, including blood bags, oxygen, water, fuel, and staff, severely hampering service delivery.