Between life and death
Children struggling to breath have some hope to live
Breathe-in, breathe-out – our breath is the most unnoticed yet life-sustaining exercise we do daily. With each breath, oxygen is moved into the bloodstream to the whole body through the lungs, powering us every day.
Yet, the same cannot be said for those struggling with diseases and breathing difficulties.
Air is the difference between life and death.
At El-Geneina Teaching Hospital, located in West Darfur, oxygen is a matter of life and death. The oxygen supply to the hospital used to be located 1,500 kilometres away, posing risks to many patients whenever there were shortages.
Thankfully, the Federal Ministry of Health with support from UNICEF recently launched a new oxygen plant, the first ever installed by UNICEF in Sudan, providing a reliable source of medical oxygen supply to the El-Geneina Teaching Hospital as well as other health facilities in the state. The plant has the capacity to fill about 120 twenty litre cylinders every 24 hours.
UNICEF Sudan/2023/Lok-ying Lau
“Without oxygen, she is not able to breathe,” says Magbola Ahamed.
“Without oxygen, she is not able to breathe,” says Magbola Ahamed.
UNICEF Sudan/2023/Lok-ying Lau
10-month-old Retag Omer was struggling to eat and wasn’t as active as she used to. Retag’s mother, Magbola Ahamed, noticed that something was wrong with her daughter and immediately rushed her to the hospital. Upon examinations Retag was diagnosed with a heart complication. Since then, she has been in hospital for 23 days now. Magbola is worried that she may not be able to make it.
UNICEF Sudan/2023/Lok-ying Lau
“Without oxygen, we might have a lot of complications and can even lead to death,” says his mother.
“Without oxygen, we might have a lot of complications and can even lead to death,” says his mother.
UNICEF Sudan/2023/Lok-ying Lau
27-month-old Mohammed Bahar and his mother Hanan Yahia live on the outskirts of El-Geneina. When Mohammed Bahar was vomiting and running a high fever, Hanan rushed him to the nearby primary healthcare center. He was later transferred to El-Geneina Teaching Hospital where he was admitted. In the past 5 days, he has been receiving oxygen 24 hours a day to maintain his oxygen level.
UNICEF Sudan/2023/Lok-ying Lau
“Without oxygen, she will struggle to breath. I am worried whether she is going to heal,” says Nabila Bashir Ahmed, Nabila’s mother.
“Without oxygen, she will struggle to breath. I am worried whether she is going to heal,” says Nabila Bashir Ahmed, Nabila’s mother.
UNICEF Sudan/2023/Lok-ying Lau
15-year-old Nabila Bashir Ahmed is receiving oxygen due to a heart complication. She has to sit straight as lying down makes it hard for her to breath. “Without oxygen, she will struggle to breath. I am worried whether she is going to heal,” says Nabila Bashir Ahmed, Nabila’s mother.
Retag, Bahar and Nabila share similar stories – that no one can survive without oxygen. Yet, during COVID-19 surges the need for this life-sustaining gas spiked to unprecedented levels and exposed an existing gap in oxygen supply.
To support the functionality of the new oxygen plant, UNICEF and partners also provided training to medical engineers and healthcare professionals on safe operation of the plant. In the future, two additional oxygen plants will be installed in North Darfur and North Kordofan states, providing reliable and life-saving medical oxygen to the most vulnerable populations in Sudan.
With thanks to support from our donors, UNICEF is able to provide oxygen that gives hope to lives.
Update as of May 2023: The oxygen plant procured and installed by UNICEF at El Geneina Teaching Hospital in West Darfur was damaged and destroyed due to the ongoing armed conflict. UNICEF is working tirelessly to deliver lifesaving supplies to the affected population.
