WHO · UNICEF · UN IGME 2024← All Countries

🇸🇩

Maternal & Child Mortality
in Sudan

North Africa · #29 of 30 worst globally

Child Deaths Since Jan 1, 2026

0

50.3 per 1,000 live births · Sudan

Deaths at Birth Today

0

est. newborns today

Infant Mortality Rate

50.3

per 1,000 · 1.9× world avg

Maternal Mortality Rate

276

per 100,000 · 1.4× world avg

North Africa

Birth Mortality Crisis

Mothers & Newborns
Dying in Sudan
During Childbirth

276 maternal deaths per 100,000 — but the 2023 war has caused this to worsen dramatically in conflict-affected states.

Newborn & Infant Mortality

50.3deaths per 1,000 live births

1.9× the world average

Maternal Mortality During Birth

276deaths per 100,000 live births

1.4× the world average

👶

Newborn & Child Deaths During Birth in Sudan

The 2023 war has displaced over 8 million people and collapsed Sudan's health system. As of 2024, 70–80% of health facilities in conflict areas are non-functional. The RSF is committing mass atrocities in Darfur.

Was improving 2000–2022. The 2023 war has caused catastrophic reversal.

Leading Causes of Child Death at Birth

Neonatal causes28%

Malaria22%

Diarrhoea15%

Pneumonia13%

Other22%

* Neonatal deaths (first 28 days) represent the largest share of under-5 mortality.

What Happens in the Delivery Room

🏥

Births in a health facility~83%

estimated — lower in conflict/rural areas

👩‍⚕️

Skilled birth attendant present~54%

doctor, midwife or trained nurse

⚠️

Neonatal deaths (first 28 days)48%

of all under-5 deaths occur at birth

🩸

Most preventable with skilled care~75%

of child and maternal deaths

🤱

Maternal Mortality During Birth in Sudan

Hospitals in Khartoum and Darfur have been systematically attacked. Cholera, malaria, and measles are spreading rapidly among displaced populations. MSF has documented RSF fighters using hospitals as military bases.

Rapidly deteriorating since April 2023.

Causes of Death During Labour & Delivery

Haemorrhage27%

Eclampsia21%

Sepsis17%

Malaria in pregnancy15%

Obstructed labour13%

Other7%

* Haemorrhage and eclampsia together cause over 50% of deaths — both are treatable with basic skilled care.

Why Mothers Die at Birth Here

🩺

Emergency obstetric care availableLimited

few facilities can manage haemorrhage

🩸

Blood transfusion accessCritical gap

haemorrhage kills within 2 hours

💊

Magnesium sulphate (eclampsia)Often absent

costs $1 — saves lives instantly

✅

If skilled care were universal~75% fewer deaths

WHO estimate for this mortality level

⚠️

Why Is This Still Happening?

Structural Barriers to Safe Birth in Sudan

SAF-RSF civil war (April 2023) — world's largest displacement crisis (8M+)

80% of health facilities non-functional in conflict zones

Cholera and measles epidemics spreading among displaced populations

RSF committing mass atrocities in Darfur

Hospitals deliberately targeted and occupied

🎯

SDG 3 Progress Assessment

Sudan's 2023 war represents one of the fastest reversals of health progress in modern history. Peace is the only prerequisite.

💡

Prevention & Solutions

How Can We Prevent This in Sudan?

📍 The Situation

Sudan's ongoing conflict, which escalated dramatically in April 2023, has caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and the near-collapse of the health system in Khartoum State and across Darfur, Kordofan, and Gezira. Over 10 million people are displaced.

🔬 How Ultrasound Helps

In Sudan's crisis context, portable POCUS devices are among the most practical diagnostic tools available — requiring no infrastructure, no electricity (battery-powered models), no laboratory, and minimal maintenance. Training humanitarian health workers through GUSI's online platform in areas with connectivity, and through intensive in-person workshops in stable regions, creates a cadre of POCUS-capable providers who can function effectively under field conditions.

🎓 The Training Gap

Sudan's crisis has produced a large population of displaced health workers — doctors, nurses, and midwives who have left conflict zones but retain their clinical skills. Rapid POCUS certification through GUSI's online platform would redeploy this existing workforce capability to serve displaced populations in safer areas.

What a trained provider can detect with a portable ultrasound device

🩸Placenta previa

🔄Malpresentation

👥Twin pregnancy

📉Fetal growth restriction

⚡Pre-eclampsia markers

🫁Childhood pneumonia

💉Internal bleeding

🧠Hydrocephalus

🧮

Interactive Model

POCUS Impact Calculator — Sudan

Model based on: 600 scans/provider/year · 15% high-risk detection rate · 47% mortality reduction for detected cases (Swanson et al. 2014 · WHO POCUS in LMICs review)

Number of POCUS-trained providers deployed in Sudan50

1 provider250500 providers

Scans per Year

30,000

pregnant women screened

High-Risk Detected

4,500

flagged for referral / intervention

Maternal Deaths Prevented

19

mothers saved per year

Newborn Deaths Prevented

40

babies saved per year

Total Lives Saved Per Year

59deaths prevented

1.2

lives per provider

$419

est. cost per life saved

$24,750

total training investment

* This calculator uses a conservative evidence-based model. Actual impact varies by deployment context, provider experience, and health system capacity. Training cost based on GUSI OB POCUS Essentials (~$495/provider). Mortality reduction from peer-reviewed POCUS implementation studies in low-resource settings.

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Technology & Education

A Practical Plan to Bring POCUS to Sudan

🗺️ Deployment Roadmap for Sudan

Baseline assessment — map existing facilities, referral pathways, blood supply, and available midwives, nurses, and physicians who could be trained.
Provider training — enrol local champions in GUSI's OB POCUS Essentials + Pediatric POCUS courses. Certify a core group to train others.
Device procurement — select appropriate portable handheld devices based on power infrastructure, connectivity, and budget (see brands below).
Protocols & referral integration — define what to scan, what findings trigger referral, and how to document scans at the point of care.
Quality assurance — regular image review sessions, outcomes tracking, and refresher training to maintain competency.

📡 Recommended Portable Ultrasound Devices

🦋 Butterfly iQ+

Website →

Single-probe whole-body device covering OB, cardiac, lung, and FAST exams. App-based platform with built-in AI guidance. Designed for low-resource environments — charges via USB and works with any smartphone.

🔵 Philips Lumify

Website →

App-based probe that plugs into Android phones. Multiple transducer heads available for OB and point-of-care use. Widely used in GUSI-supported training programs globally.

🟢 GE Vscan Air

Website →

Wireless, pocket-sized dual-probe handheld. Streams live images to a smartphone app. Excellent battery life — purpose-built for rapid bedside OB and FAST-style assessments.

🔷 Clarius HD3

Website →

High-resolution wireless handheld. Multiple probe configurations available. Strong image quality in a compact form factor — suitable for OB, lung, and neonatal scanning.

Global Ultrasound Institute · GUSI

The training that closes the gap — built for providers in settings like Sudan

GUSI trains physicians, nurses, midwives, and community health workers in Point-of-Care Ultrasound. Courses are designed from the ground up for providers in resource-limited settings — short, practical, competency-based, and available online or in person. Every course maps directly to the conditions killing mothers and babies during childbirth.