AMMAN – World Health Organisation (WHO) regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Ahmed Mandhari, yesterday urged the warring parties in Sudan to evacuate health facilities immediately, warning of a health crisis.
“While the news of the ceasefire in Sudan is welcome, the attack on Sudan’s health infrastructure has escalated with the occupation of hospitals in Khartoum and the country’s central public health laboratory by parties to the conflict,” Jordan news agency (Petra) reported Mandhari as saying in a statement by Anadolu Agency.
He said the occupation and violation of these vital health facilities prevent patients from obtaining basic healthcare and also caused the cessation of testing important laboratory samples.
He warned that “the impact of these occupations and the violation of these vital health facilities are being felt by the lack of access by patients to essential healthcare and in the instant halt to the testing of critically important laboratory samples”.
He added that WHO is concerned that untrained individuals could mishandle such infectious specimens, thereby infecting themselves and others. – Bernama, April 28, 2023
