Khartoum – This week (3/11), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) completed the rehabilitation of Sudan’s secondary health centre designated to receive and isolate coronavirus (COVID-19) patients in the capital, Khartoum.

The Jabra hospital was the first COVID-19 isolation centre to admit COVID-19 patients when the pandemic first hit Sudan in March 2020 and was forced to close temporarily since August. The health centre was renovated with funding from the Government of Denmark, support from the private sector and in close coordination with the State Ministry of Health and the Isolation Command Centre. It is expected to re-open later this month.

Mr.Makeen Hamid Terab, Member of the High Committee for Health Emergencies and Secretary-General of the Sudanese Working Abroad (SSWA) expressed his gratitude to IOM during the official handover ceremony, “On behalf of the High Committee of Health Emergencies and the Government of Sudan, we thank IOM and its partners for their great effort in supporting the rehabilitation of Jabra hospital and improving the standards and equipment of the hospital to ensure that they meet all the requirements to help us provide quality medical services to all patients, especially those affected by COVID-19.

The works included the rehabilitation of the Intensive Care Unit, the sewage and electrical supply networks at the hospital. Twenty air conditioner units and thirteen high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) air filters for air purification and improved ventilation and thirteen handwashing stations with motion sensors were installed, including the rehabilitation and construction of thirty new sanitation facilities. The hospital has been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

“These renovations are part of IOM’s response to support to the government in ensuring the continuity of essential health services and care through the provision of life-saving primary health services, improved water, sanitation and hygiene services and infrastructure, and implementation of IPC measures,” said Catherine Northing, IOM Sudan Chief of Mission.

“We will continue to work closely with the Government of Sudan and our partners to respond effectively and efficiently to this public health threat and to ensure that everyone has access to quality healthcare, especially those most vulnerable.”

Sudan is facing multiple crises, including an economic crisis, floods, conflicts, displacement and disease outbreaks, placing additional pressure on the country’s already fragile health care system.

Approximately 81 per cent of the population do not have access to functional health centres and the situation is getting worse, as many clinics closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Khartoum State alone, nearly half of the health centres closed their doors since the beginning of this year, according to World Health Organization (WHO).

Since the first reported case of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sudan on 13 March 2020, the number of confirmed cases in the country have continued to rise. As of the first of November, the pandemic has claimed the lives of 837 people in Sudan with 13,804 confirmed cases and 6,764 recovered, according to the Federal Ministry of Health in Sudan.

In addition to Jabra hospital, IOM will be rehabilitating seven other health care facilities in Khartoum (3), North Darfur (1), Gedaref (1) and Red Sea State (2) as part of its efforts to support the Government of Sudan’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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For more information please contact, Lisa George, Communications and Media Officer, IOM Sudan Email: IOMSudanmedia@iom.int