Around 300 kidney failure patients have died in Sudan’s Darfur region after all dialysis centres were forced to close because of the ongoing war, a local rights group said.
The Darfur Victims Advocacy Organisation said dialysis services across the region had stopped after medical equipment broke down and supplies of medicines and essential materials ran out.
Citing medical staff at El Daein Teaching Hospital, the group said the shutdown had left patients without any treatment alternatives inside Darfur, resulting in the deaths of approximately 300 people.
Patients seeking treatment are now reportedly forced to make dangerous journeys lasting up to 15 days to reach dialysis centres in Al Dabbah and Merowe in Northern State.
The organisation said the journeys involve high costs and serious security risks, adding that at least five people had died while attempting to reach medical care.
It issued an urgent appeal to the United Nations, humanitarian organisations and international donors to help rehabilitate or establish a dialysis centre in Darfur and provide the necessary equipment, medical supplies and trained staff.
The group warned that hundreds more lives remain at risk unless immediate action is taken.
