SUDAN – The Sudanese Doctors Network has raised the alarm over an impending collapse of the healthcare system in Darfur and Kordofan, as more than 60% of the medical facility in Khartoum remain out of service amid worsening conditions caused by the ongoing war.
In a statement released Today, the network reported that most healthcare facilities have ceased to function, with major referral hospitals no longer operating and thousands of medical professionals having fled the country. The network warned that the situation could lead to the total breakdown of the health system in areas controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and in several regions under the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) control.
According to the network’s field data, the health sector is facing its worst conditions since the conflict erupted in April 2023. Most regions are now outside effective healthcare coverage, with a near-total absence of basic services, a critical shortage of medical supplies, and a widespread inability to respond to emergencies, chronic illnesses, or disease outbreaks.
Field reports indicate that between 75% and 85% of health facilities in Khartoum are non-operational, with large hospitals either fully closed or functioning at limited capacity. In Darfur, especially in the cities of El Geneina, Nyala, and El Fasher, more than 90% of healthcare infrastructure has been destroyed or shut down.
In Al Gezira State, once a vital hub for medical services, about 60% of facilities have closed, and many central hospitals have suffered extensive damage. In Kordofan, nearly half of all health facilities are out of service or operating at minimal capacity. In Sudan’s eastern states, health infrastructure is under severe strain due to the high number of displaced people arriving from conflict zones. Many of the remaining facilities are only partially functioning. In Blue Nile State, the healthcare situation is deteriorating rapidly.
The network urged the international community, humanitarian agencies, United Nations bodies, and the African Union to act immediately to prevent a full-scale health disaster. it called for the urgent establishment of safe humanitarian corridors to deliver medical aid to affected areas and highlighted the need for immediate financial and logistical support to rehabilitate damaged hospitals and health centers. The deployment of emergency medical teams was also recommended to help mitigate the severe shortage of healthcare workers in conflict-affected regions.
In addition, the network stressed the importance of halting attacks on healthcare facilities and ensuring their neutrality across the areas of control. It also called for a large-scale vaccination campaign to contain potential epidemics in displacement camps and densely populated regions.
The continued collapse of healthcare services, the network warned, could lead to a complete breakdown of what remains of Sudan’s health system in the coming weeks. This would expose millions of civilians particularly women, children, and individuals with chronic conditions to extreme risk.
The war has already displaced over 10 million people and caused widespread destruction of public infrastructure. With most hospitals either destroyed or abandoned and access to medical services increasingly limited, the country’s health sector is reaching a point of no return.