Diabetic patients in Sudan use wet towels, ice to keep their insulin vials cool: report

Khartoum: The conflict in Sudan left the nation in dire need of essentials including food and medicines, with a large number people finding neither.

The conflict between the army and paramilitary Rapid Response Forces (RSF) since mid-April has been the worst of all conflicts happening in the world today.

There have been tank combats, airstrikes and shelling even in densely populated areas of the nation, throwing out of gear essential supplies.

Alongside damage to public places and supply chains, there emerged struggle for drinking water and electricity.

But the most painful of the people’s sufferings stem from the challenge of finding required medicines and care.

A report by British newspaper The Guardian says that people use wet towels and ice bags to cool off their insulin vials in extreme heat.

A lot of people, who are stuck at the borders fleeing the war, have no choice but turn to whatever help is at hand even if they don’t work, because they are waiting in heat to escape the violence-hit nation.

Sudanese, struggling with diabetics, have to preserve this vital medication for diabetics.

The terrible fighting happening between two groups have forced hospitals and pharmacies to shut down, adding to the situation many cold storage facilities have been damaged in the conflict.

One patient Arwa Zaki Mustafa reportedly said that she is a type 1 diabetic and her sister also depends on insulin, adding that ‘working insulin is really a must for me’.

‘My entire body was shutting down because we didn't have enough food for the kids and had to ration,’ Arwa Zaki Mustafa reportedly said.

"At the border, we were stuck outside for 12 hours, and that was when I realised my gel was starting to melt. We stayed there for 27 hours, and there wasn't much water, but what I found was that I used to wet some towels to wrap the insulin in and try to keep it out of the sun," she was quoted as saying.