This joint Caritas/ACT response in the field of health, carried out according to instructions of the Sudanese health ministry itself, has made possible the establishment of 20 temporary clinics, offering basic medical care to some 20,000 people.
One of the greatest difficulties facing Caritas/ACT, as well as the other groups working in the field of health care in Darfur, is the lack of medical personnel willing to work in violence-ridden rural areas.
One exception is Dr. Walid Mohammed Mustafa, 33, a Caritas/ACT worker, who works in Garsilla.
«This is my country,» he said, «and if those of us who have a higher level of education are unwilling to sacrifice ourselves, Sudan will never go forward.»
He added: «Although we have good doctors and nurses, the majority are working outside the country.»
Caritas/ACT hopes this year to increase to 23 the number of its basic health-care centers in Darfur, in addition to two rural hospitals.
Each of the current 20 centers has a doctor, two nurses and a midwife, and medical supplies.
