Full Breakdown
War-Driven Collapse of Medicine Access for Sudan’s Chronically Ill
By Drooid · · How we work
Background & Context
The civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023 and has displaced millions, shattered infrastructure, and devalued the Sudanese pound. The United Nations Development Programme notes household incomes have fallen to 1990s levels. The National Medicines and Poisons Board reports only eight of the 30 pharmaceutical factories in Khartoum have resumed operations, forcing reliance on imported drugs whose prices have surged as the exchange rate slipped from roughly 600 to about 9,300 pounds per US dollar on the black market.
Data & Statistics
- Insulin delivery: An insulin pen costs 70,000 pounds (? $8); patients buy vials at 17,000 pounds (? $1.80) and spend an additional 180,000 pounds (? $20) monthly on ice.
- Hypertension/thyroid care: A month’s supply for an elderly patient reached 160,000 pounds (? $17.80).
- Heart-disease regimen: One patient’s monthly drug bill totals 300,000 pounds (? $33.30).
- Pharmaceutical supply loss: The National Medical Supplies Fund estimates $500 million in losses to medicine stocks, infrastructure, and transport fleets.
On-the-Ground Reports
Hasanat al-Rashid, 48, fled Khartoum in April 2023, spent days without insulin and now relies on daily ice purchases.
Fatima Adam, 75, with hypertension and thyroid disease, depends on her son’s irregular day-labour income; her daughter Aisha says a month’s medicines cost 160,000 pounds, forcing them to stretch supplies.
Huda Mahmoud, 58, from el-Obeid, takes five heart-related medicines amounting to 151,000 pounds (? $16.80) per month and fears a missed dose could trigger a life-threatening clot.
Pharmacist Hossam al-Naeem notes price hikes have erased profit margins on common cold-and-flu tablets, forcing him to sell at cost.
Official Statements & Responses
The National Medical Supplies Fund attributes the $500 million loss to war-related damage to warehouses, transport fleets, and production lines. The National Medicines and Poisons Board highlights the limited reopening of factories as a bottleneck that heightens dependence on costly imports. Both agencies cite the pound’s depreciation as the primary driver of soaring drug prices.
Verbatim Quotes
- “My mother takes six different medicines because hypertension has affected her heart in addition to her thyroid medication. The war has made things harder because the prices of these medicines have gone up,” — Aisha, daughter of Fatima Adam
- “The gap means right now we are unable to keep people alive,” — Manon Radosta, CARE
Why It Matters
The inability to afford essential medicines forces patients to choose between life-sustaining treatment and basic necessities. Interruptions in chronic-disease management raise the risk of severe complications, hospitalizations, and mortality, compounding an already overstretched health system. The financial strain also pushes families into deeper poverty, undermining prospects for post-conflict recovery.
What's Next
The National Medicines and Poisons Board plans to support the reopening of additional pharmaceutical factories, but no specific timeline has been provided. International donors are being urged to fund emergency medical supplies and to stabilize the Sudanese pound to curb inflationary pressure on drug prices.