Nyala, December 24 (Darfur24)
Medical sources and residents said on Tuesday that at least 13 kidney failure patients died after the dialysis center in Nyala, South Darfur, was closed for seven days.
Medical sources told Darfur24 that the center was shut down after patients protested being forced to cover the full cost of dialysis treatment, including fuel to run electricity generators and essential medical supplies.
They said the closure, which lasted from late November to early December, led to the deaths of more than 13 patients due to complications, out of about 50 patients who had been receiving regular treatment at the center.
Relatives of patients said dialysis services had effectively become privatized, with patients required to purchase four liters of fuel per session to operate the generator, as well as dialysis solutions and powder, which cost more than 200,000 Sudanese pounds—enough for only three sessions. They added that the price of dialysis connections rose from 15,000 to 50,000 Sudanese Pounds.
A transport driver who regularly ferried patients to the center told Darfur24 that three of the four kidney patients he transported died during the period of closure. He said patients had initially received two dialysis sessions per week, which was later reduced to one.
The Nyala dialysis center serves patients from across the Darfur region.
Since the outbreak of the war, it has suffered from severe shortages of medical supplies, forcing patients to bear the full cost of treatment.
Volunteers and humanitarian organizations have provided intermittent support, but medical sources said the assistance falls far short of what is needed to keep the center operating consistently.