Pregnant women in Sudan’s Damazin await medical care amid failing health services

Inside one of the displacement camps in Damazin, the capital of Sudan’s Blue Nile region, pregnant women are struggling with worsening conditions as health services deteriorate and clinics that once provided basic care have shut down.

Safaa, who is five months pregnant, was displaced from the town of Wad Al-Mahi to the Al-Karama 3 camp, carrying fears that go beyond the hardships of displacement to concerns over the safety of her unborn child. She says the journey was difficult and that the hospital has remained closed since she arrived at the camp, worsening the challenges of pregnancy amid the absence of medical services that could ease her pain or provide reassurance about her condition. She says she has no choice but to leave her fate to God.

Safaa’s experience is not unique in the camp. Reports indicate that around 500 pregnant women are facing similar circumstances after medical services provided by a camp clinic were suspended. The clinic closed its doors nearly two months ago due to a lack of funding.

One of the midwives who previously worked at the clinic said the suspension of support forced her to provide assistance with limited resources, moving around the edges of the camp in search of basic supplies to help pregnant women. She stressed that the clinic’s closure has made conditions more difficult, expressing hope that a health facility inside the camp would reopen to provide pregnant women with essential care.

Mobile Clinic

In an effort to ease the crisis, the Sudanese Red Crescent Society operates a mobile clinic inside the camp, providing basic services to dozens of pregnant women. One of the organization’s members said the team includes a midwife who conducts regular examinations, monitors pregnancies, and handles minor health issues that can be treated on site.

Despite the importance of these efforts, they have not eased Safaa’s concerns as she continues to wait for assistance that could protect her unborn child and help her complete her pregnancy safely. Other women in the camp also hope for the day they can leave displacement camps behind and end years of hardship.

Dozens of pregnant women are facing severe humanitarian and health challenges every day, underscoring the urgent need for interventions that ensure continued healthcare, protect the lives of mothers and their unborn children, and reduce the burdens faced during displacement.