The role of non-governmental organizations in providing curative health services in North Darfur State, Sudan

[3] North Darfur State is located in western Sudan and is inhabited by 2 260 262 people, according to information gathered from the census of 20083. [4]The interviewees and interviews are coded as follows: 1 = professional (doctor), 2 = administrator. Thus 1-1 indicates an interview with the first professional, 1-2 with the second professional, and so on. Background: Conflict in North Darfur state, Western Sudan started in 2003, and the delivering of curative health services was becoming a greater challenge for the country’s limited resources. NGOs have played an important role in providing curative health services. Objectives: To examine the role that Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have played in providing curative health services, as well as to identify the difficulties and challenges that affect NGOs in delivering curative health services. Methods: Secondary data was collected from different sources, including government offices and medical organizations in Sudan and in North Darfur state. Primary data was obtained through interviews with government and NGOs representa-tives. The interviews were conducted with (1) expatriates working for international NGOs (N=15) (2) health professionals and administrators working in health sector (N = 45) in the period from November 2010 to January 2011. Results: The government in North Darfur state spent 70 % of its financial budget on security, while it spent it less than 1