Maternal, child mortality rates in Sudan rise due to ongoing war: Health Minister

Port Sudan : Sudan's Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) has risen to 295 per 100,000 births, and the child mortality rate to 51 per 1,000 live births amid ongoing armed conflict, Sudanese Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim said.

"The health of mothers and children requires special care after the increase in maternal and child mortality rates due to the ongoing war," Ibrahim said in a statement.

The global MMR in 2020 was 223 per 100,000 live births, while the global under-5 mortality rate was 37 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022, according to the World Health Organization, reports Xinhua news agency.

The minister revealed a strategic plan for 2025 to improve the health of mothers and children at a total cost of more than $200 million, stressing the need to integrate the efforts of the health ministry and international partners to reduce maternal and child mortalities.

Meanwhile, the Sudan Family Planning Association (SFPA), a government organisation, reported on Thursday that miscarriage cases in shelters for displaced persons were on the rise.

"Hundreds of displaced women in displacement shelters suffer from a severe shortage of reproductive health services, while miscarriages have increased due to the lack of adequate medical care," the SFPA said in a statement.

It noted that poor care during pregnancy and childbirth and insufficient healthcare for newborns have further increased maternal and child mortality rates.

The association added that inadequate health facilities and medical equipment heightened the risk of the spread of infectious diseases.

A report from the International Organisation for Migration on Tuesday stated that over 14 million people have fled their homes since the beginning of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, with women making up more than half of those affected.

Sudan has been ravaged by a deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since mid-April 2023. According to a situation report issued by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project on October 14, the deadly conflict has resulted in more than 24,850 deaths.