Sudan struggles with coronavirus

Text by: Claire Debuyser

Last Saturday, Sudan decided to extend confinement in the capital Khartoum as the number of infections increases. More and more voices are rising to criticize the management of the authorities.

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From our correspondent in Khartoum,

Tayba Hospital in Omdurman, a town near Khartoum, has been idling since the beginning of May. Only the emergency department is open. "  We have had two Covid-19 patients, one of whom has died, " said Dr. Rawnag Tarik. The hospital was closed for several days for complete disinfection and a large part of the nursing staff is in solitary confinement.  "

This scenario has been repeated regularly for the past few weeks: “  Whenever there is a case somewhere, the hospital is closed and the medical team placed in quarantine, which has a negative effect on the entire health system  ” , deplores Dr. Khalid Abdelrahman Abdelsalam, specialist in tropical diseases and consultant for an international humanitarian organization. "  It's an exaggerated reaction  ," he adds. According to him, caregivers do not always assess the risks to their fair extent: “  Sometimes doctors or nurses say they have been exposed to the virus when they have not all had direct contact with the patient. They panic and are influenced by what they read on social media.  "

Fear of going to work

In Khartoum, the private hospital where Dr. Abu Bakr Ali Mahjoub practices has been stopped since coronavirus patients were detected there. Like many of his colleagues, the young doctor is afraid to go to work: “  We have no personal protective equipment, no over-gowns and not enough masks. It is not fair to ask caregivers to work in these conditions  .

The closure of some facilities weakens an already fragile health system, and complicates access to care for patients suffering from diseases other than the coronavirus. "  However, those who have heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes or pregnant women must absolutely continue to have access to care  ", insists Annette Heinzelmann, coordinator of emergency health for WHO in Sudan, who continues the meetings. "  We are discussing it with the NGOs and with the Ministry of Health, which is aware of the problem  ."

► Also listen: Sudan: the coronavirus crisis comes on top of a severe economic crisis

Since the beginning of the epidemic in the country, the Minister of Health, Dr. Akram Ali Al-Tom, has regularly held press conferences. A transparency that contrasts with the opacity that prevailed under the previous regime. But the minister is now on the hot seat. Monday, May 11, the internal resistance committee of the Ministry of Health called for his departure, criticizing him for his management of the epidemic. According to members of this committee, "  patients suffering from diseases other than Covid-19 have died from lack of access to medical care  ". The following day, five directors from various departments of the Ministry of Health resigned. They denounce a “  lack of consultation and democracy in the decision-making process  ”.    

Poor coordination

For their part, several doctors contacted by RFI complain of an "absence of vision and leadership" within the Ministry of Health. Among the problems encountered in the field, Dr. Abu Bakr Ali Mahjoub regrets the poor coordination with the Ministry of Health: "  All the hospitals in Khartoum had to follow a protocol: if we had a suspicion of coronavirus, we had to call the ministry de la Santé which sent a team within 2 hours to transfer the patient to one of their isolation centers. But now they are very late, they come after two or three days. During this time, there is therefore more contact with the patient, and therefore more risk of contamination. "

The practitioner does not hide his impatience with the authorities: “  They should know that the number of cases was going to increase. We are in a critical situation, we want to know what the plan of the Ministry of Health is. He and his colleagues ask for better protection and better organization at the ministry level.

To date, Covid-19 has contaminated 1,526 people and killed 74 people in Sudan. But Dr. Khalid Abdelrahman Abdelsalam suspects that the number of people affected is higher. According to him, some patients fear a stigmatization: “  Because of the shame associated with the disease, people hide their symptoms. They will first buy drugs at the pharmacy or take traditional treatments. Since it does not work, they end up going to the hospital, but they arrive in a bad state  . ” Last week, an Omdurman hospital was ransacked by residents of the neighborhood. A false rumor had circulated that the establishment would be transformed into an isolation center for patients of Covid-19.

On the front line against the epidemic, "  the carers are poorly paid and do not feel supported  ", regrets an emergency doctor from Khartoum who wishes to remain anonymous. In recent weeks, several caregivers have been victims of attacks. "  However, there is no specific law to protect health professionals and hospitals, while there is one to protect judges, police or the military  ." Doctors who played a leading role during the revolution last year are disappointed, according to the emergency physician: "  They feel that they are not a priority for the transitional government. This adds to the low morale of doctors. "

► Read also: Sudan, one year after the fall of Omar el-Béchir

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• Sudan
• Coronavirus
• Health and Medicine
• Confinement
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• Economic crisis

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