Saving the future generation in Darfur
 WHO/Yassir Abo Gadr |
Four million people currently need humanitarian assistance in Darfur, Sudan. They include some two million internally displaced persons (IDPs). The security situation and the large influx of people in need of care have had a negative impact on access to health care in Darfur. Children under the age of five face grave risks, as they are especially vulnerable to disease and death.
In 2006, WHO initiated a programme to strengthen service delivery and ensure free primary and secondary health care for people affected by the conflict in Darfur. Health facilities are being provided with clinical specialists, essential drugs and training. As a result of WHO support, by January 2007, more than 50 000 people in Darfur had benefited from free outpatient care and more than 10 000 had received free inpatient care. Almost 5 000 surgical operations were performed free of charge.
WHO is also working closely with the Sudanese Ministry of Health and non-governmental organizations to implement the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy. By January 2007 IMCI was being implemented in 26 health facilities, including three IDP camps, in North Darfur.
This photo story provides snapshots of the ways in which WHO is helping to provide health care for children at hospitals, clinics and IDP camps in Darfur.
