Egypt: The UNHCR warns that the lack of financing threatens the lives of the Sudanese fleeing violence

The Commission said that it had to suspend all forms of medical treatment for refugees in Egypt, with the exception of life -saving emergency interventions, which affected about 20 thousand patients, including those who need cancer surgery, chemotherapy and heart and medicine surgery to treat chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

“Many will lose their lives”

Jacob Arham, the commission’s public health official in Cairo, said that obtaining health care was one of the main factors that prompted many Sudanese refugees to flee to Egypt, to escape violence and conflict.

He said: “The health regime in Sudan was one of the first sectors to collapsed after the outbreak of the fighting, and many families that fled included patients who were unable to receive treatment in Sudan.”

Arham pointed out that the refugees enjoy access to the Egyptian national health system, but a few of them can afford the costs of health services.

He added: “The consequences of stopping support will be dire, as many patients will not be able to withstand the costs of treatment themselves, which will lead to the deterioration of their health and their weakness, and many people will lose their lives. Stopping the activities that we know are saving lives is very difficult, and it is the opposite of what anyone who works in the human field seeks.”

“What will happen to me?”

Among the affected people, Abdel -Azim Mohamed, who suffers from a chronic heart condition, who fled from the Sudanese capital Khartoum with his wife during the first months of the conflict. Abdel -Azim says: “When life became unbearable in Sudan, especially with the collapse of health facilities and the difficulty of finding the drug, I felt that staying there with my health would be a death sentence.”

With the help of the High Commissioner, Abdel -Azim has undergone two successful operations to put pillars in his coronary arteries, but with its inability to provide the necessary medicines to control his health condition, he feels that his time is running out.

He said: “I have struggled a lot to survive, but now I do not know if I will be able to survive. If I cannot bear the costs of the drug, what will happen to me?

Increased needs and lack of financing

The Refugee Commission confirmed that it had only received less than describing the amount required to support more than 939 thousand refugees and asylum seekers registered from Sudan and 60 other countries currently residing in Egypt.

She focuses her efforts on life -saving activities and supporting the most vulnerable groups, including children who are not accompanied by their families and survivors of sexual violence and torture, due to the sharp decline in human financing since the beginning of this year. She warned that even these programs are at risk if urgent financing was not secured.

In this context, Marti Romero, a deputy representative of the Commission in Egypt, said: “The needs of refugees fleeing from Sudan are increasing day by day, but funding does not keep pace with. Egypt faces tremendous pressure, and basic services are pushed to their maximum limits. If there are no urgent international measures, refugees and host communities will face more difficulties. We need immediate and sustainable support to prevent the aggravation of this crisis.”

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has called on all donors – including governments, companies and individuals – to provide urgent support for refugees and displaced people around the world who are already suffering from the devastating impact of the lack of financing.

More details on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee Affairs website The following link.