The outbreak of war in Sudan has led to the destruction or closure of most public and private hospitals and health facilities that provide medical care to women, forcing many of them, especially pregnant women, to give birth in inappropriate conditions, either at home or inside displacement camps.

High maternal mortality rates

Dr. Sawsan Abdul Qayyum, an obstetrician and gynecologist, said: “Maternal mortality rates and surviving cases of death resulting from bleeding, infection, preeclampsia and other complications have increased, as community midwives and medical staff have been forced to flee conflict zones internally or outside the country, which has exacerbated the crisis and doubled the burden on women and their children.” In safer cities, women faced other challenges: lack of antenatal and postnatal care services as a result of the enormous pressure on the health system, security conditions, lack of transportation and high cost of living made it difficult to access the few health facilities that are still functioning in these conditions, as well as the lack of family planning services and the difficulty of accessing contraceptives.