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15th April 2025, River Nile State, Sudan - In a groundbreaking step for healthcare access in Sudan, the Sudan Family Planning Association (SFPA) has launched the country’s first mobile telemedicine clinic in River Nile State. Funded by IPPF and FCDO, this innovation brings specialist remote care to people in isolated and conflict-affected areas, reducing the need for physical travel to health facilities. The mobile telemedicine clinic trucks are equipped with high-speed Starlink satellite internet and can travel to remote and rural locations. Clients receive essential treatment on-site and can connect directly, through secure video calls, with medical specialists across Sudan and internationally, including consultants based in Europe. This initiative is part of SFPA’s broader telemedicine project, designed to ensure the continued delivery of sexual and reproductive health services to the most vulnerable populations, particularly in areas where healthcare systems have collapsed due to conflict. Ms Kawthar, Executive Director of the SFPA branch in River Nile State, noted that the launch of the mobile telemedicine clinic, in Quoz Al-Halq, marks the beginning of a new era in healthcare service delivery within the state. “This project represents a landmark moment in Sudan’s healthcare history. We face enormous challenges in reaching people affected by conflict and displacement with essential health services. But this clinic changes what’s possible. We can now deliver integrated healthcare solutions through smart technologies – we’re breaking down barriers to health.” This innovation comes as Sudan approaches the third year of a brutal conflict, which began on 15 April 2023. Over 12.5 million people have been forcibly displaced[i], and more than two-thirds of the population are in need of humanitarian aid[ii]. Rates of sexually transmitted infections and gender-based violence, including sexual violence, have risen sharply[iii]. Many clinics and hospitals have been destroyed or abandoned. There is a severe shortage of qualified medical personnel, many of whom have fled the country. Access to care has disappeared entirely in some areas.  SFPA facilities and staff have also been directly affected by the conflict, with nine of its clinics attacked, resulting in the tragic loss of volunteers and healthcare workers. Amid these challenges, SFPA managed to reach 9.8 million humanitarian clients in 2024.  The new mobile telemedicine clinic offers a leap forward in how care can be delivered. It will provide: In-person and digital health consultations Psychosocial support for survivors of gender-based violence Awareness campaigns on reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections Fully integrated digital referral system, linking primary care with specialised medical facilities. Dr Siham Gaber, Director of Digital Health Interventions and Services at SFPA, said the initiative reflects the Association’s vision to harness technology for sustainable healthcare delivery in crisis contexts. “The mobile telemedicine clinic is a significant step forward in improving access to reproductive health services. It enables remote medical consultations and connects patients with doctors and specialists without the need for long-distance travel.  This is especially important for women, youth and displaced people, who often face serious risks just to access a health facility. Now, they can get the right care where they are - safely and with dignity.” Mr El-Shafie Mohamed Ali, Executive Director of SFPA, added: “This clinic is not just a mobile health unit. It represents a comprehensive model for integrating telemedicine solutions into the provision of healthcare services. It contributes to expanding coverage and narrowing the health gap caused by conflict and insecurity.” The first phase of the project will see mobile telemedicine clinics deployed in five key states: River Nile, Red Sea, Kassala, Gedaref and Blue Nile. A second expansion phase will begin in May and aims to extend coverage across all 15 states where SFPA operates. This will ensure broader access to services for those most in need. “We remain dedicated to innovation and the scaling of digital solutions to ensure every Sudanese citizen, regardless of their location or circumstance, has access to quality healthcare,” said Mr El-Shafie Mohamed Ali. For more information and to speak to SFPA staff in Sudan, please email [email protected]   ------- About the Sudan Family Planning Association  The Sudan Family Planning Association (SFPA) was established in 1965 by pioneers in obstetrics and gynaecology in response to increases in maternal, neonatal and infant mortality and morbidity. As the statistics show, Sudan is a country in great need of frontline sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Advocacy, and undertaking information, education and communication (IEC) programs are critical. In 2024, SFPA provided 43.4 million services to 12.6 million clients (9.8 million of which were humanitarian clients) through 26 static clinics, 39 mobile clinics, 1499 community-based distributors, private physicians and associated clinics. About the International Planned Parenthood Federation The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global healthcare provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. We are a movement of 150 Member Associations and Collaborative Partners with a presence in over 146 countries. Building on a proud history of 70 years of achievement, we commit to lead a locally owned, globally connected civil society movement that provides and enables services and champions sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, especially the under-served. We advocate for a world where people are provided with the information they need to make informed decisions about their sexual health and bodies. We stand up and fight for sexual and reproductive rights, and against those who seek to deny people their human right to bodily autonomy and freedom. We deliver care that is rooted in rights, respect, and dignity - no matter what.  [i] https://www.unrefugees.org/news/sudan-crisis-explained/ [ii] https://humanitarianaction.info/plan/1220 [iii] https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2024/09/sudan-humanitarian-crisis-has-catastrophic-impact-for-women-and-girls-with-two-fold-increase-of-gender-based-violence   

London, 26 February 2025 – The International Planned Parenthood Federation condemns the decision of the UK Government to decrease ODA (Overseas Development Assistance) from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI, to increase defence spending from 2.3 to 2.5% of GDP by 2027. This marks the second major cut since 2021, when the UK slashed ODA from 0.7% to 0.5% of GNI—a devastating rollback of its global commitments.  This is not just a policy shift—it is a direct assault on human rights, healthcare, and the lives of the world’s most marginalised communities, steeped in the same colonial logic that has long prioritised military power over the lives and dignity of people in the Global South.  Dr Alvaro Bermejo, Director-General of IPPF said:  “The UK Government’s decision to cut life-saving aid is failing the world’s most systematically and historically marginalised communities - racialized people, women and girls, LGBTQI+ communities, refugees, and those in humanitarian crises. Let’s be clear: this will cost lives. IPPF has long been a development partner of FCDO; by betraying partner countries in the Global South, this is a missed opportunity to work together to fix systemic injustices and build lasting and trusting relationships rooted in solidarity with historically dispossessed nations and communities.”  The UK’s decision does not exist in isolation. It is part of a broader, deeply racialised system where Western powers extract, exploit, and then turn their backs on the very communities they have impoverished and destabilised. The UK is funneling money into military expansion, reinforcing the same cycles of war, displacement, and suffering that fuel global inequities.  Since January 2025, the aid and development sectors have been facing unprecedented and multiple budget cuts and freezes driven by the new Trump administration. Across the world, we have witnessed a systematic defunding of women's rights, sexual rights, and vulnerable people living in conflict zones and humanitarian crises.   The same communities are being targeted again and again: women, girls, LGBTQI+ people, migrants, and refugees—the very people most in need of support and people who are already fighting to survive in a world shaped by centuries of colonialism and racial injustice.    We call on the UK Government to reverse this decision and restore the UK aid budget to 0.7 of GNI as pledged in its election manifesto. Lives are at stake, and now more than ever, we must stand for global solidarity, not turn our backs on those who need us most.   For more information, please contact [email protected] - +44 7918 845944  About the International Planned Parenthood Federation   IPPF is a global healthcare provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. Led by a courageous and determined group of women, IPPF was founded in 1952 at the Third International Planned Parenthood Conference. Today, we are a movement of 158 Member Associations and Collaborative Partners with a presence in over 153 countries.   Our work is wide-ranging, including comprehensive sex education, provision of contraceptive, safe abortion, and maternal care and responding to humanitarian crises. We pride ourselves on being local through our members and global through our network. At the heart of our mission is the provision of – and advocacy in support of – integrated healthcare to anyone who needs it regardless of race, gender, sex, income, and crucially no matter how remote.