Inauguration ceremony of the Nutrition Unit at the Teaching Obstetric Hospital in Port Sudan

On October 20^th 2019, at Teaching Obstetric Hospital in Port Sudan, the Nutrition Unit funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) was inaugurated in the presence of the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Alfatih Rabee, of the Governor of the Red Sea State, H.E. Hafiz Altaj, of the Italian Chargée d'Affaires Valeria Romare and of the AICS Representative Vincenzo Racalbuto, together with representatives of the Hospital. The Italian intervention provided equipment for 15 beds, one kitchen, 3 nutrition clinics, outpatient offices and an external area with veranda for cooking classes for nutrition and health promotion.

At the same time, the inauguration of rehabilitated Central Lab and of Pediatric Hospital (implemented by the Italian Ngo AISPO and University of Sassari, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and funded by AICS) took place. The commitment also included training workshops for nurses and pediatricians, the rehabilitation of 4 general wards, 2 neonatal and respiratory wards and connected facilities such as bathrooms, rest rooms and ambulatories.

“Italy is deeply committed in Sudan through a number of initiatives strengthening the health system: at the moment Italy is implementing - through AICS – a number of projects in the Health Sector equivalent to 62% of its total budget allocated to Sudan” stated the Italian Chargée d’ Affaires, underlying that Italy is deeply committed in the fight against malnutrition and to improve the health system in Sudan. Those interventions are in line with the Italian role as donor convener for the UN Programme SUN - Scaling Up Nutrition - aimed at prioritizing nutrition as central to national development and imperative to improve maternal and child nutrition.  All the efforts will be in line with the Strategy and the Roadmap (2016-2020) in order to achieve SDG #2 “Zero Hunger by 2030” he concluded.

The representative of AICS Khartoum stressed the importance of Sudanese ownership so as to guarantee the sustainability and success of all interventions. The Italian cooperation – he added – is committed in Kassala – Gedaref and Khartoum through a number of initiatives tackling hospital services improvement; primary health care development; and clinical quality.

The Governor thanked the Italian Government for the commitment in enhancing global health security in order to strengthen the response to the population’s needs.

The day has been the occasion to visit as well other AICS funded projects such as TADMEEN project. In particular, AICS has supported almost 60 women with the women prison through the sudanese Women Awareness Raising Group; the women counselling center Dar El Naim providing support and information session on GBV, maternal and infant health and family planning; the women association Al Raidat where 65 women have started micro-entrepreneurship activities through the use of dryers.