A specialist maternity hospital in East Darfur has completely suspended operations following a dispute between state health authorities and the Rapid Support Forces over control of the facility, local Sudanese media reported on Saturday.
Al-Tadamon Women and Maternity Hospital in El Daein, located east of the city’s main market, is the only facility in the state specialising in Caesarean sections and complicated deliveries. The hospital is fully supported and funded by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Health sources told Darfur24 that the hospital stopped operating after disagreements emerged over its administration and mandate.
According to the sources, the RSF sought to place the hospital under a military medical administration affiliated with the force, while the East Darfur Health Ministry insisted that it remain a civilian facility dedicated exclusively to women and maternity care.
The administrative dispute led to the hospital’s closure on Thursday, the sources said.
One man told Darfur24 that he brought his wife to the hospital while she was in labour and required a Caesarean section, only to find the facility closed.
He said the couple were told that services had been suspended because of administrative problems, forcing them to search for another hospital.
Medical staff said Al-Tadamon had been handling between 10 and 12 Caesarean sections and complicated deliveries every day, including critically ill patients referred from East Darfur’s eight localities and neighbouring states.
Health workers warned that a prolonged closure could place mothers and newborns at greater risk.
They said the hospital is the only facility in the state equipped with a maternity operating theatre functioning around the clock, while medicines are provided free of charge with ICRC support.
A Caesarean section at a private hospital can cost as much as 1 million Sudanese pounds, according to the report.
Neither the East Darfur Health Ministry nor the RSF leadership had issued an official statement on the dispute or the hospital’s closure as of Saturday.
Darfur24’s account of the dispute was based on health sources and could not be independently verified.
