A changing landscape of care
Midwife Fatma Aldoma has been a pillar of the Kosti Maternity Hospital since 1974 and has recently seen a surge of patients affected by the country’s insecurity.
Many of her clients have been displaced by war and Ms. Aldoma has also seen her patients endure the economic consequences of the conflict.
“Some women come without money. We pay out of pocket to help them with childbirth expenses,” Mrs. Aldoma revealed.
Her hope is that the hospital can get more support for supplies and resources to help women with testing and treatment.
The care Ms. Aldoma provides is making a huge difference.
“I am happy with the services provided here and the care of the midwives,” said Faj, a 25-year-old mother of five from Tawila in the conflict-ridden Darfur region in the west of the country.
All of her children were born healthy at the Kosti Maternity Hospital, including one with serious complications. “My biggest problem was the bleeding, but thanks to the medical care at the hospital they helped me.”
Midwife Fatma Aldoma has been working at the Kosti Maternity Hospital for five decades.
Tense systems, urgent needs
The UN estimates that 11.7 million people have been displaced due to the outbreak of conflict in Sudan in April 2023 and more than four million have fled to neighboring countries.
Tens of thousands have reportedly died. Hundreds of thousands face famine.
Sudan was already hosting large populations of displaced people before this new emergency, providing them with water, food, shelter, health and basic relief items.
Increased demand for services due to the influx of families fleeing conflict, persistent power outages, especially during critical surgeries such as Caesarean sections, and severe shortages of medical equipment and supplies threaten to unravel the fragile fabric of care offered in places like Kosti Maternity Hospital.
UNFPA has stepped in to support the hospital with essential medical supplies, including an anesthesia machine, incubators, oxygen concentrators, manual breathing equipment and an ultrasound unit.
Faj has been assisted during all five of her births at the Kosti Maternity Hospital.
Capacity increase
These supplies have strengthened the hospital’s ability to provide life-saving maternal and neonatal health services, including reducing delays in emergency surgeries and saving the lives of babies born prematurely.
UNFPA’s installation of a solar energy system at the hospital has also provided a much-needed alternative energy source, keeping essential services running.
Still, the hospital relies on generators to close the gap, underscoring the urgent need to invest in stronger infrastructure and resources.
Despite the challenges, aid agencies face serious humanitarian funding shortfalls. With just three months left in 2025, UNFPA’s $145.7 million appeal for Sudan in 2025 is only 33 percent funded.
UNFPA and its partners have reached more than 586,000 people in Sudan with essential services, including emergency maternal and obstetric care, between January and August 2025. However, the scale of needs far exceeds available resources.