Sudanese doctor Sarah Ali is not surprised by the recent report that 250 million people in Africa could catch coronavirus in the first year of the pandemic.
She tells the BBC’s OS radio programme that coronavirus is a huge challenge because of her country’s already “collapsed healthcare system”.
The junior doctor has symptoms of Covid-19 herself, so she’s self-isolating at home. Her experience of conditions in Sudan’s capital city paints a bleak picture:Quote Message: Today one of the biggest hospitals in Khartoum is calling for doctors to come and help because [the are] only three doctors.”
Today one of the biggest hospitals in Khartoum is calling for doctors to come and help because [the are] only three doctors.”
She says doctors like her fear that the actual number of coronavirus cases is “much, much higher” than the 1,964 currently reported.Quote Message: People are dying of other things – of asthma, heart attacks and trauma because they can’t find attending doctors at hospital.”
People are dying of other things – of asthma, heart attacks and trauma because they can’t find attending doctors at hospital.”
Dr Ali says there’s also a dire lack of the medical equipment needed to fight the virus:Quote Message: Every day you find a person looking for a ventilator… we only have about 200 ventilators to cover the whole country.
Every day you find a person looking for a ventilator… we only have about 200 ventilators to cover the whole country.Quote Message: Some hospitals and emergency rooms actually used to shut down before Covid-19 because of the lack of gloves.
Some hospitals and emergency rooms actually used to shut down before Covid-19 because of the lack of gloves.Quote Message: [Doctors] can’t examine patients because they don’t have enough gloves. We’ve been promised that PPE [personal protective equipment] will be provided.”
[Doctors] can’t examine patients because they don’t have enough gloves. We’ve been promised that PPE [personal protective equipment] will be provided.”
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