The Sudanese Ministry of Health has revealed a significant shortage of medical supplies across the country.

On Wednesday, Sudanese Health Minister Haitham Mohammed Ali confirmed in a press statement that medical assistance from the UN and friendly countries has failed to fill the gap.

“Despite the great efforts of the United Nations agencies and several sisterly countries that have provided quantities of medicine to Sudan, the aid has not met the needs of Sudanese,” he said.

The minister attributed this shortage to the fact that nutritional needs related to therapeutic meals for malnourished children or medicines and medical supplies are constant needs that citizens require continually. He added that Sudan needs USD 50 million to address the shortage of medicine and medical supplies.

Mohammed further disclosed that some 8 million children need therapeutic nutrition, adding that this accounts for 15 percent of cases of malnutrition among children before the war and seven percent for critical cases, in addition to cases of stunted growth among children reaching 30 percent.

Meanwhile, Nazik Abu Zeid, the head of the Sudanese Doctors for Human Rights Committee, affirmed that looting and destruction of pharmaceutical institutions in Sudan contributed significantly to the shortage and absence of medicine in the country.

She attributed the lack of access to medicine to the decline in trade and movement in the country due to the current insecurity prevailing across the country.

“Life-saving medicines such as intravenous solutions, blood pressure, heart and diabetes medications, and kidney dialysis drugs are completely unavailable, and if available, they are prohibitively expensive,” Minister Abu Zeid added.