After three years of conflict, Sudan is facing a rapidly worsening health crisis, with millions lacking access to basic medical care as violence, displacement, and funding shortages continue to strain the system. The World Health Organization has warned that the country’s health situation is now among the most severe globally.
Nearly 34 million people require humanitarian assistance, including 21 million in urgent need of health services. At the same time, more than four million people are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2026, increasing their vulnerability to disease and life-threatening complications.
Disease outbreaks are spreading across multiple regions, with cases of malaria, dengue, measles, polio, hepatitis E, meningitis, and diphtheria reported in states such as Darfur, Khartoum, and Kordofan. As the crisis deepens, access to healthcare continues to shrink, particularly in areas where fighting remains intense.
Across Sudan’s 18 states, around 37 percent of health facilities are no longer functioning. Hospitals, ambulances, patients, and healthcare workers have been repeatedly targeted in attacks, further limiting access to care. Since April 2023, the WHO has verified over 200 attacks on healthcare facilities, resulting in more than 2,000 deaths and hundreds of injuries.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the war has deprived millions of their basic rights, including access to health, food, water, and safety. He emphasized that while healthcare workers are striving to save lives, they require safe working conditions and essential supplies, noting that lasting peace is ultimately the only solution to the crisis.
In heavily affected regions such as Darfur and Kordofan, ongoing fighting has disrupted humanitarian access and forced people to travel long distances under dangerous conditions to seek medical help. Attacks on key facilities, including hospitals, have further weakened an already fragile system.
Hanan Balkhy described the situation as the world’s largest ongoing health crisis, highlighting the urgent need for both immediate humanitarian support and long-term solutions. Similarly, Shible Sahbani noted that the WHO continues to provide critical support despite challenges, including delivering medical supplies, strengthening health systems, and expanding access to care.
Since the conflict began, the WHO has delivered over 3,300 metric tons of medicines and supplies, supporting treatment for diseases such as cholera and malaria, as well as trauma care. WHO-backed services have reached more than 4.1 million people through health centres, mobile clinics, and hospitals. The organization has also supported the treatment of over 118,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
Vaccination campaigns have been a key part of the response, reaching more than 46 million people with vaccines for cholera, polio, diphtheria, measles, and rubella. Sudan has also become the first country in the region to introduce malaria vaccines into its routine immunization programme.
Despite these efforts, the WHO warns that without sustained funding, safe humanitarian access, and protection of healthcare infrastructure, the crisis will continue to worsen. The agency has reiterated that peace remains essential to restoring health services and ensuring long-term recovery for the Sudanese people.
