Sudan

Healthcare

International Medical Corps currently supports 41 health facilities across Sudan, delivering essential health services, strengthening health systems and providing resources to deploy skilled health workers. Essential health services include treatment and prevention of disease, reproductive healthcare, health education, immunisation, child healthcare and surveillance, and referrals to emergency- and secondary-level health services. Reproductive health services include prenatal care, safe deliveries attended by skilled birth attendants, postnatal and newborn care, and family planning. Clinical management of rape (CMR) and safe referrals are also offered at the facilities.

In 2024, we provided 910,961 outpatient consultations, including treating thousands of patients for acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea and malaria, which continue to be the leading causes of disease in Sudan. We also reached women with comprehensive reproductive health services, including 18,924 women who received antenatal care, 13,966 who delivered babies assisted by skilled healthcare personnel and 12,351 who received postnatal care. We immunised 49,711 children, including 27,720 vaccinated against measles. We engaged local organisations across Sudan, helping them deliver health education for 377,108 people on topics such as immunisations, infectious diseases, infection prevention and control (IPC), birth preparedness and healthy delivery, postnatal care and family planning.

Health Systems Strengthening

We help the Sudanese Ministry of Health (MoH) to promote a stronger healthcare delivery system. Our activities include supporting service delivery, providing information management, rehabilitating health facilities, deploying healthcare workers, and providing medicines and medical supplies. We support MoH efforts around disease control, disease surveillance and immunisation, and train MoH staff on emergency preparedness.

Nutrition

International Medical Corps provides nutrition services in Sudan to those most vulnerable to hunger—including children under 5, pregnant women and nursing mothers. We operate 37 outpatient therapeutic programmes (OTPs), 36 target supplementary treatment centres (TSFPs) and six stabilisation centres for malnourished children with medical complications. In 2024, of the 352,921 people screened for malnutrition, 82% were children under 5, thousands of whom were malnourished. We treated 17,150 people in OTPs and 28,171 in TSFPs, including 24,717 children under 5 and 3,454 pregnant or nursing mothers. We also provided nutrition awareness sessions for mothers on different topics such as the importance of breastfeeding, dietary diversification using local foods and targeted nutritional support. In 2024, we reached 246,543 people with nutrition education.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

Many communities in Sudan experience sub-standard water quality and insufficient quantity—17.3 million people lack access to basic drinking water, while about 24 million lack access to proper sanitation facilities. Influxes of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) frequently strain host communities and camp water-collection and sanitation systems. By expanding access to clean water, creating proper waste-disposal systems and providing safe sanitation facilities, we restore and protect healthy living conditions.

In Sudan, we implement WASH activities as part of health and nutrition interventions, including:

• promoting good hygiene practices through;
• creating waste disposal facilities and safe practices;
• chlorinating, rehabilitating and maintaining water points;
• constructing and rehabilitating drainage canals and latrines; and
• improving WASH and infection prevention and control in health facilities.

In 2024, we constructed or rehabilitated 55 water points for internally displaced people and host communities, and reached 296,398 people with information about the need for safe hygiene practices and other WASH activities.

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support

International Medical Corps provides MHPSS services through an integrated approach, ensuring accessibility, non-stigmatisation and cultural acceptability.

Our MHPSS programme aims to improve mental health, enhance resilience and well-being, build social support networks and empower affected populations, including children and youth. Our MHPSS services include psychological support, mental health case management, psychological first aid (PFA) and group psychosocial support (PSS). Community-based PSS activities include community outreach, mental health awareness and psychoeducation. International Medical Corps also provides training for key stakeholders, including general health providers, MHPSS staff, community leaders, local partners and staff from other humanitarian agencies. Training topics include the WHO’s mhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide (mhGAP-HIG), SH+, PFA, basic concepts of MHPSS, and detection and safe referrals of mental health cases. International Medical Corps also actively contributes to the establishment and strengthening of MHPSS coordination mechanisms, including the Sudan National and Sub-Regional MHPSS Technical Working Groups. In 2024, we provided mental health consultations to 6,984 people, and 13,700 people participated in psychosocial support activities.

Violence Against Women and Girls

To help meet increasing needs related to escalating violence, International Medical Corps launched its first VAWG prevention and response programme in Sudan in 2024. We work with three local partners, two of which are women-led organisations, to provide comprehensive services for survivors of violence and to strengthen support and protection for those at risk of violence. International Medical Corps recognises the importance of individualised, survivor-centred care, including case management, psychosocial support and safe referral to health services.

The VAWG team works closely with the Health, Nutrition and MHPSS teams to integrate activities, mitigate risks and strengthen referrals to lifesaving services, such as CMR. The team also works closely with community leaders and local groups, such as mother-to-mother support groups, to address harmful attitudes and promote support for survivors. In coordination with the sub-cluster working group, we lead efforts to strengthen the response to VAWG, including implementing case management capacity-building initiatives with local organisations across the country.

Capacity Building

Overall, the health system’s limited capacity and response mechanisms have severely weakened the ability to provide adequate healthcare. Since arriving in Sudan in 2004, we have trained thousands of local and national medical personnel, including traditional birth attendants and community leaders, in collaboration with the MoH. In 2024, we trained 2,718 people on different topics, including:

• emergency obstetric and newborn care;
• rational use of essential drugs;
• support for CMR and survivors of intimate partner violence;
• integrated management of common childhood illnesses;
• nutritional screening, treatment and prevention of malnutrition;
• infant and young-child feeding practices;
• outbreak preparedness and response;
• infection prevention and control; and
• PFA and mental health case management, including safe referrals.

The expertise of these providers is crucial to integrating healthcare services into the community. Their skills also provide the continuity of care needed to stabilise fragile healthcare systems and foster long-term recovery.