Over 200 Sudanese medical staff have died from Covid-19, prompting urgent calls for vaccinations as the country grapples with limited resources.
In Sudan, more than 200 medical workers have tragically died from Covid-19, a toll far higher than the official figures suggest. As the nation faces severe challenges in acquiring and distributing vaccines, frontline health workers are pleading for immediate action to protect them from the virus.
Doctors, many of whom are elderly or senior consultants, are at high risk due to their age, and many have continued working to support themselves financially despite the dangers. Manal El-Degair, a Sudanese doctor and member of the Jisir NGO, emphasized the urgent need to vaccinate medical staff before the third wave hits, warning, “We will lose more doctors.”
The unreported deaths extend beyond doctors; the number of nurses who have died remains largely unknown. Health workers in Sudan are at the forefront of the battle, but their roles have become increasingly perilous. The official tally shows 32,000 Covid-19 cases and 2,000 deaths, but experts believe the true figures are much higher due to underreporting, especially in the capital, Khartoum.
Sudan recently received its first batch of vaccines through the UN-backed Covax initiative, but the 828,000 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and 250,000 Sinopharm doses are insufficient to meet the needs of the population. Health officials and the families of deceased doctors blame the government’s misallocation of resources and the global vaccine shortage for exacerbating the crisis.
The country’s healthcare system is severely underfunded, with only a handful of specialized doctors and limited ICU beds. In Khartoum, a city of 6 million, there are only 150 dedicated Covid beds, further straining the system. Despite government restrictions on large gatherings, the public continues to neglect basic health guidelines like social distancing and mask-wearing.
As the situation worsens, Sudan’s health workers continue to risk their lives, with many unable to stop working due to a lack of alternative income. The country’s already fragile healthcare infrastructure is in desperate need of support, and health workers’ calls for more vaccines are growing louder.
