The Centre

In 2011, we opened a Paediatric Centre in Port Sudan in order to provide high-quality medical care for children under the age of 14, in an area of 800,000 people with no other free healthcare facilities. Each month we admit around 100 children, of whom 89% are under the age of 5. Half of our patients suffer from malnutrition. Every day, our staff carry out over 80 examinations; diagnosing malaria, gastrointestinal infections, and respiratory illnesses. In collaboration with the Sudanese Ministry of Health, a comprehensive course of vaccinations and boosters is available to those children and pregnant women who require it. As of June 2020, the centre has delivered 178,823 outpatient consultations and has admitted 9,528 patients.

Hygiene and health education activities for children and their families are essential, providing people with comprehensive healthcare advice and enabling us to monitor the condition of patients presently undergoing treatment. With financial assistance from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, in 2014 we launched a preventive medicine programme. Our health promoters visit communities in the region on a weekly basis to provide families with information on good health practices and nutrition. They offer advice about vaccinations; minimising the risks of contracting malaria; prophylaxis relating to other infectious diseases; and on healthy dietary regimens. Children undergoing outpatient treatment are closely monitored. These outreach visits – totalling 47,860 as of June 2020 – are helping to improve the general health of children in the communities of Port Sudan. During 2017 alone, a total of 8,451 people participated in health education activities throughout the wider community.

Training and Local Staff

Throughout all EMERGENCY projects, we work to train the next generation of local medical professionals and develop the long-term autonomy and capacity of national healthcare infrastructures. At the Port Sudan Paediatric Centre, our international team collaborates with the Port Sudan Nursing Academy to provide on-the-job clinical training and seminars for trainee medical professionals. We run training activities daily.

At present, the Port Sudan Paediatric Centre employs 126 local staff members.

AWD

In the first few months of 2017, at the request of the Sudanese Ministry of Health and Red Sea State, we opened and ran a centre in Port Sudan for the treatment of Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD). The centre provided 50 bed spaces and received a total of 90 patients. Following a rapid decrease in the number of new cases and the discharge of our last patient, the centre closed on 31 March 2017. In its place, we established a surveillance unit for the isolation of suspected AWD cases and their referral to public hospitals equipped to provide further care.

Architecture

EMERGENCY’s Port Sudan Paediatric Centre was built with the help of generous financial assistance from Massimo Grimaldi, an Italian artist and beneficiary of the MAXXI (National Museum of XXI Century Art in Rome) 2per100 International Prize.

The Port Sudan Paediatric Centre was awarded the prestigious Giancarlo Lus Gold Medal in 2013. This award recognises innovative and sustainable architecture. Our facility maximises the use of renewable energy sources and seeks to minimise its environmental impact.

The Port Sudan Paediatric Centre also received the Zumtobel Group Award (2014) in London. This prize recognises projects which promote sustainability; benefit communities; and foster interdisciplinary communication.

All EMERGENCY projects strive to create oases of neutrality and peace in conflict zones, providing high-quality care regardless of patients’ socio-economic, ethnic, religious, or political status. Our goal is to create facilities that meet and exceed the highest international clinical standards, while respecting local customs and traditions. We aim to design sustainable, modern buildings using local materials and knowledge, and to develop innovative solutions to reduce energy consumption in extreme climates.

The Port Sudan Paediatric Centre is co-funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.