Sudan: The harrowing reality of giving birth in a war zone

Sudanese women about to give birth are losing their babies and sometimes their own lives because of a lack of specialist healthcare support, amid the ongoing war, UN humanitarians said on Friday.Key pointsPregnant women travel for hours to reach emergency maternity careGolo town hospital is only one able to perform C-sections for miles aroundEssential medical supplies running out, including oxytocin to prevent fatal bleedingWar is ongoing and humanitarian needs are massiveIn an alert, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, highlighted urgent needs among expectant mothers in Golo, in western Sudan’s Central Darfur region. The mountain town has only one hospital capable of performing a C-section and it is the only one for many miles around. “Most women reach it from mountain villages on foot, often walking for hours or being transported on crude wooden stretchers through the mountains, when they're already in labour or bleeding,” said Fabrizia Falcione, UNFPA Sudan Country Representative. “Those who can afford it hire a donkey, but many women cannot. Many arrive when it is already too late for them and also for their babies.”The UNFPA official noted that Golo hospital’s...