Provision of life-saving healthcare services for the vulnerable and conflict-affected population of Khartoum in response to the humanitarian crisis in Sudan ltpgtThe primary objective of this project is to ensure the delivery of life-saving healthcare services to the conflict-affected population in Khartoum State, focusing on the Soba area where the Salam Centre for Cardiac Surgery is located. Khartoum has faced severe challenges since the onset of the war, including shortages of essential services like electricity, water, fuel, and medical assistance, with many hospitals non-functional and lacking critical supplies. The Salam Centre has emerged as a vital healthcare facility in this context, offering free and easily accessible services due to its distance from the core of the conflict zone. As a result, it is experiencing a growing number of patients daily, many of whom have sought treatment at different facilities before seeing Salam as their final destination for medical care. Established in 2007, the Centre currently provides different levels of healthcare services.lt/pgtltpgtltbrgtOn one side, it provides high-level, life-saving, comprehensive cardiac services completely free of charge. It delivers specialized surgical activities for various heart conditions, whether acquired or congenital. Moreover, it ensures continued care with post-operative follow-ups, particularly in administering vital anticoagulant treatments for patients who have undergone heart valve replacement surgery (of which 28% are pediatric patients).lt/pgtltpgtltbrgtOn the other side, in March 2024 the Centre has broadened its life-saving services to include pediatric care. This expansion involves the relocation of pediatric services previously delivered at Mayo Pediatric Centre to a new OPD clinic within the Salam Centre, providing essential services to children 0-14. Leveraging its highly skilled personnel and extensive expertise in the field, EMERGENCY has chosen to temporarily transfer operations from Mayo to the Salam Centre, to enhance security for both staff and patients while ensuring the continuation of healthcare services.lt/pgtltpgtltbrgtGiven the challenges of a disrupted healthcare system and an insecure operating environment, maintaining the functionality of this facility and increasing the availability of its services is crucial and a matter of life or death for thousands of people. In this war-torn context, the Centre is going above and beyond its mandate, extending services to patients classified as “out of criteria”, namely not cardiac nor pediatric cases. From January to April 2024, Salam provided medical assistance to 742 individuals experiencing urgent medical requirements, seeking to address the pressing emergency circumstances and alleviate the scarcity of healthcare services for patients in acute need of medical care. These patients presented with infections, severe gastroenteritis, malaria, pneumonia, gastrointestinal bleeding, neurological issues such as stroke or brain haemorrhage, and various other severe medical conditions. ltbrgtltbrgtFurthermore, considering the absence of electricity for almost three months in the Khartoum area, and the consequent lack of running water, the Salam Centre is also providing drinkable water distribution to the surrounding population (around 3000-4000 litres/day) in agreement with the community leader.lt/pgtltpgtltbrgtIn light of these elements, and considering the intricate operational context, as well as the humanitarian needs of the population that have emerged over the past year of conflict, Output 1 focuses on providing free and high-quality basic pediatric services to the population aged 0 to 14 in the State of Khartoum. Besides, Output 2 strives to provide patients with life-threatening heart conditions access to life-saving specialized care at no cost, also ensuring the continuity of the INR follow-up service, the life-saving therapy for individuals who have already undergone cardiac surgery for heart valve replacement. ltbrgtlt/pgt