Chemotherapy for Cancer Patients in Sudan

Since the war broke out in Khartoum on the 15th of April 2023, Cancer patients in Sudan face a dire situation. Central government healthcare governance and financing operations that oversee the provision of care to this vulnerable subset of patients have ceased. There is an Emergency Response Federal Ministry of Health team currently overseeing operations from Port Sudan but with limited capacity and no access to federal monetary resources. As such, the provision of oncology services to adult and pediatric cancer patients in Sudan has almost ceased. The main factors contributing to the current situation are:

• The closure of Khartoum Oncology Hospital, which was the main oncology center in Sudan acted as the main tertiary referral center located in the worst-hit military front areas. Patients had to be redirected to secondary peripheral oncology services across safer areas in Sudan (locations listed further below).
• The depletion of nationally available stocks of chemotherapeutic and supporting medicines through direct extensive damage to National Medicines Supplies Fund storage facilities and secondarily due to the cessation of supply chain management operations due to no current federal government funding and management.
• The critical shortage of medical, nursing, and specialist pharmacist staff in oncology centers in peripheral oncology centers.

The displacement of thousands of patients into nearby states in order to receive medical care has led to an extra burden on the already exhausted peripheral oncology centers. Now, many patients are sadly dying in an agonizing way due to their inability to receive their chemotherapy, and important supporting medicines to prevent and treat expected complications or to simply receive palliative pain relief for terminally ill patients. This project aims at alleviating part of the suffering faced by cancer patients in Sudan.

To import anticancer and supportive therapy medications to oncology centers in Sudan.

• National Supply Chain, Federal Ministry of Health
• Sadagaat USA
• Sudanese American Medical Association

Anticancer medications are going to be provided to all oncology centers in Sudan including centers located in the following locations: Gedaref, Kassala, Port Sudan, Shendi, Marawi, Dongola, El-Managil, Kosti, El-Obied, El-Fasher, Nyala, Khartoum, Wad Medani.

Patients diagnosed with cancer receive free-of-charge clinical care at governmental oncology centers across Sudan.

Anticancer and supportive medications are intended to cover the needs of cancer patients for four to six weeks initially until Sudan Federal Ministry of Health services resume.