UNFPA Sends Emergency Medical Supplies for Sudanese Refugees

UNITED NATIONS, New York – UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, has dispatched supplies for safe childbirth, blood transfusion equipment, medications to prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases and other medical provisions to protect the reproductive health of thousands of Sudanese displaced by ongoing fighting in the western region of Darfur.

The Fund is also appealing to donors for $250,000 to provide emergency health assistance to some 110,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad, as part of the $30.1 million inter-agency appeal that was issued by the United Nations today.

Inside Sudan, UNFPA is distributing reproductive health supplies to camps and health facilities through its partners, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Save the Children UK and the Irish organization, GOAL.

UNFPA has also sent reproductive health supplies and equipment to assist refugees in neighbouring Chad, where more than 110,000 Sudanese have fled since fighting in Darfur escalated last year. In today’s United Nations appeal, UNFPA is asking donors for an additional $250,000 to help reduce maternal and infant deaths and to reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies among refugees. UNFPA will work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and with implementing partners MSF Belgium and CARE (Canada).

About 75 per cent of adult refugees in Chad are women. The risk of maternal and neonatal deaths due to complications during pregnancy and delivery increases in refugee settings as a result of lack of access to emergency obstetric care, the increased risk of malnutrition and epidemics, and the increased incidence of childbirth under unhygienic circumstances. The risk of sexual violence and sexually transmitted infection, including the spread of HIV/AIDS, also often increases during social instability and population movements.

To address these concerns, the funds requested by UNFPA to help Sudanese refugees in Chad would be used to: 

• Prevent and manage the consequences of sexual violence by providing services to victims and involving the community in secure planning of refugee camp design;
• Reduce HIV transmission through collaboration with other health sector partners to enforce respect for universal precautions, making safe blood transfusions available and ensuring the availability of free condoms; and
• Prevent excess neonatal and maternal deaths and illnesses by providing all pregnant women in the last trimester with clean birthing materials, ensuring clean and safe deliveries at health facilities and initiating the establishment of a referral system for obstetric emergencies.

UNFPA is the world's largest multilateral source of population assistance. Since it became operational in 1969, it has provided help to developing countries, at their request, to meet reproductive health needs and support development efforts.

Contact Information:

Omar Gharzeddine
Tel.: +1 (212) 297-5028
Email: gharzeddine@unfpa.org