After years of closure caused by conflict, maternity hospitals in Sudan’s capital are reopening, providing critical care to mothers amid ongoing economic and logistical challenges.
In Omdurman, the maternity hospital known locally as Al-Dayat, or “Midwives” in English, has resumed operations. Mothers are once again able to access safer delivery services after the hospital’s long wartime shutdown.
Al-Toma Jabara, a mother from East Nile, gave birth to her daughter Doaa at Al-Dayat two days ago. She shared with Al Jazeera that she was unable to conceive during the war years, which separated her from her husband for two years due to fighting between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Jabara described her daughter’s birth as a “new beginning” after years of fear and deprivation. She emphasized that the functioning maternity ward gave her a vital sense of safety, alleviating the constant dread of dying from lack of medical care she experienced during the conflict.
During the war, the closure of specialized maternity hospitals forced many women to deliver at home under unsafe conditions or travel long distances, significantly increasing risks for mothers and infants. An anonymous official from the Khartoum State Ministry of Health confirmed to Al Jazeera that maternal and infant complications and mortality rates surged during the war due to these closures.
The reopening of maternity wards like Al-Dayat marks a hopeful step toward restoring essential healthcare services for Sudanese mothers and their newborns.
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