Sudanese Health Minister to “Sudanhorizon”: USD 11 Billion in Health Sector Losses — Sudan Seeks to Expand Pharmaceutical Imports from Egypt

Sudanhorizon – Cairo – Sabah Musa

Sudanese Minister of Health, Dr. Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim, revealed that preliminary estimates place the losses in Sudan’s health sector due to the war at USD 11 billion.

In an exclusive statement to Sudanhorizon News, Ibrahim said that the committee responsible for assessing the economic impact on the health system — including medical institutions, equipment, vehicles, warehouses, medicines, and cold chains — arrived at this figure, noting that the ministry has already begun the gradual process of rehabilitation and reconstruction in some states.

He explained, “We are focusing primarily on basic healthcare services in the first phase, followed by preventive health services and community protection from epidemics in the second. The third phase will soon involve the rehabilitation of specialized hospitals to a better standard.”

The minister pointed to the widespread destruction of the health system across many states, noting that militia forces invaded the capital Khartoum, Gezira, Sennar, parts of White Nile State, as well as Kordofan and Darfur.

He added, “We are making steady progress. Although epidemics occur every rainy season, this year’s has been the most difficult due to the extensive destruction of infrastructure, water sources, and services caused by the Rapid Support Forces militia.”

Ibrahim explained that disease vector density is now much higher than in previous years. However, through state monitoring and coordination with UN agencies and international organizations, the situation has started to improve:
“The infection curves are steadily declining. We expect in the coming weeks that the rates of malaria and dengue fever will drop significantly, while cholera cases have already decreased considerably over the past few weeks.”

The minister said his current visit to Egypt is to attend the World Health Organization’s Regional Meeting, which this year focuses on health conditions in the Arab and regional context, particularly in Gaza, Yemen, Sudan, and several other countries.

He noted that Sudan achieved several gains during the meetings, “most notably by drawing attention to the dire health situation in Sudan and the massive destruction caused by the Rapid Support Forces militia, which led to the spread of epidemics and diseases.”

He added that an agreement was signed among countries facing similar challenges — including Yemen, Somalia, and Djibouti — under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Ibrahim also met with his Egyptian counterpart, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, as a continuation of previous meetings on the joint Sudan-Egypt health cooperation agreement. He explained that the agreement covers several key areas, most importantly specialized medical training for Sudanese doctors in Egypt and the licensing framework to allow continued professional development — noting that over 400 Sudanese doctors are currently in training in Egypt.

He stated that discussions also focused on expediting the signing of a bilateral agreement between Egypt and Sudan to combat disease vectors spreading across Sudan, adding that the Egyptian minister pledged to accelerate its implementation.
“This agreement will protect both countries — particularly Egypt and Sudan’s Northern State — at the same time,” he said.

The two ministers also discussed expanding pharmaceutical imports from Egypt under the current circumstances. Ibrahim highlighted that previous efforts have already improved imports from Egypt, raising it to second place among Sudan’s sources of medicine imports after previously ranking tenth.

He noted that many facilities have been approved, and significant procedural facilitation has been granted.
“Egypt has reached the third maturity level in pharmaceutical manufacturing,” he said, adding that both sides also discussed their shared concerns and plans to organize joint medical convoys from Egypt to Sudan in the coming period.

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