Al-Daein, September 19 (Darfur24)
The Solidarity Hospital for Women and Maternity in Al-Daein, East Darfur State, has suspended operations amid a dispute between the Ministry of Health and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over its management and mandate.
The hospital, located east of Al-Daein’s main market, is the only facility in the state specializing in cesarean sections and complicated deliveries. It operates with funding and support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Health sources told Darfur24 that the hospital closed on Thursday after the RSF requested that it be transferred to a military medical administration under its control, while the Ministry of Health insisted that it remain a civilian facility dedicated to women’s and maternity services.
A patient’s companion told Darfur24 that he took his wife, who was in labor, to the hospital on Thursday for a cesarean section but found the facility closed.
“We arrived in the morning and found the door locked,” he said. “They told us the hospital was closed because of administrative issues, so we had to look for another hospital.”
Medical staff said the hospital previously handled between 10 and 12 cesarean and complicated deliveries daily, including critical cases referred from East Darfur’s eight localities and neighboring states.
They warned that a prolonged closure could increase risks for mothers and newborns, particularly because the hospital has a 24-hour delivery unit and provides medicines free of charge with ICRC support.
The staff said cesarean sections at private hospitals can cost up to 1 million Sudanese pounds, placing them beyond the reach of many families.
Neither the East Darfur Ministry of Health nor the RSF command has publicly commented on the closure or the dispute over the hospital’s management.