Sudan's healthcare system is on the verge of collapse due to a combination of severe funding cuts and ongoing conflict, according to a warning from the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
"War is driving Sudan's needs; funding cuts are shrinking the response," said Muhammad Ibrahim, the head of MSF in Sudan. He explained that while MSF's operations are privately funded, the disappearance of funding from other health services leads to clinic closures. This forces patients to seek care at remaining facilities, including those supported by MSF, which are consequently facing increased pressure.
These conditions are compelling patients to undertake dangerous and extended journeys to receive treatment. "After a longer and more expensive journey, patients often arrive in a much more serious condition, and the hospital may already be full," stated Sebastián Traficante, MSF's emergency coordinator in the Darfur region. Between January and April 2026, MSF observed a 22.5% rise in admissions at facilities it supports in central Darfur compared to the same period the previous year.
In May alone, 45 healthcare centers in the area reportedly stopped receiving funding. MSF indicated that the closure of frontline services is placing immense strain on other hospitals, leading to a loss of functionality and shortages of medicines.
The Tanedba camp in Gedaref state, home to 18,400 displaced individuals, has seen its maternity and surgical wards shut down after a humanitarian organization withdrew in June. MSF is now operating an emergency room there, but pregnant women requiring surgical delivery must travel three hours to the nearest city. Similarly, in the Um Rakuba camp, also in Gedaref, the number of aid agencies has dwindled from 35 in 2021 to fewer than 10. The camp currently shelters approximately 17,000 people, predominantly women and children.
"If support does not increase, more patients will face longer journeys, fewer treatment options and greater risk of arriving too late for care," warned Liz Harding, MSF's UK humanitarian representative.
Concurrent with the funding crisis, attacks on healthcare workers and facilities persist. In 2025, Sudan recorded 1,620 deaths from attacks on medical facilities, which MSF noted represented 82% of all global fatalities related to such attacks. This dire health situation is exacerbated by widespread food insecurity, with the UN reporting that over 19.5 million people are experiencing "crisis levels" of food insecurity and more than five million face "emergency levels of hunger."
The conflict shows no immediate signs of abating. Reports from North Kordofan state on Tuesday indicated that at least 11 people were killed in a drone attack on the army-controlled town of Umm Ruwaba, with the projectile striking a crowded courtyard in a court complex, according to medical sources. Médecins Sans Frontières is appealing to world leaders for increased funding to assist the millions in need of humanitarian aid.