Um Dafuq, August 10 (Darfur24)
At least 18 pregnant women have died at Umm Dafuq Rural Hospital in South Darfur State over the past seven months, according to medical sources, amid a severe shortage of doctors, medical staff, and emergency transport, compounded by flooding that has cut off roads to the area.
Salwa Al-Nour, 25, was among the latest victims. She remained bedridden for four days with obstructed labor and severe bleeding without receiving the medical intervention needed to save her, according to her family.
Her relatives attempted to transport her to a hospital in the neighboring town of Umm Dukhun, but flooding had cut the roads, preventing them from reaching the facility. Salwa died while being transported.
A day later, Maryam Makki died inside Umm Dafuq Hospital following poisoning and the death of her fetus. Her family was unable to transfer her to another facility because there was no ambulance, and roads remained inaccessible.
The fate of a third patient, Mona Abdullah, remained unknown after she was transferred on Monday while suffering from a miscarriage and severe blood loss.
Medical sources told Darfur24 that the three cases reflect a broader crisis affecting women in rural areas, where the absence of doctors, limited primary healthcare, and the collapse of transportation routes have made access to emergency obstetric care extremely difficult.
The sources said 18 pregnant women had died at Umm Dafuq Hospital over the previous seven months, mainly because of complications during childbirth, inadequate primary healthcare, and the inability of families to transport patients to Nyala for specialized treatment.
According to the sources, the hospital’s last doctor left about seven months ago. Since then, the facility has operated mainly with medical assistants and limited support staff, resulting in a sharp deterioration in services.
The situation has been further aggravated by heavy rains and flooding, which have cut road links between Umm Dafuq and other parts of South Darfur.
Um Dafuq, a border town near the Central African Republic and about 370 kilometers from Nyala, is effectively isolated on two fronts. The border has been closed because of the war, while flooding has disrupted the road to Nyala, making the transfer of critically ill patients extremely difficult.
Residents told Darfur24 that the absence of functioning health services has left the hospital unable to provide adequate treatment, particularly for pregnant women and children. They called on the South Darfur Ministry of Health to urgently intervene to restore medical services and provide emergency transport.