Scalpel and strife: Assessing the impact of Sudan's ongoing civil war on surgical practice and healthcare delivery.

Background: This study aims to shed light on the profound ramifications of the military conflict that started in April 2023 on surgical practice in Sudan.

Methods: This is a survey-based study. The survey link was disseminated to Sudanese medical practitioners via various social media (WhatsApp, Telegram, X (previously twitter) and Facebook) channels. We included only responses from medical practitioners working in the surgical specialities.

Results: A total of 90 responses have been collected. All participants were working in surgical service provision institutes. Sixty per cent of the responses were from the age group 25-35 years old, and two-thirds of the total cohort either left Sudan or was internally displaced because of the conflict. Moreover, 51% are no longer practising because they had to flee the conflict area (75%) or because the hospital is out of service (20%). There was a significant drop in the average number of emergency and elective lists.

Conclusion: The military conflict affected Sudan's already strained health system. There was a significant drop in the average number of emergency and elective lists with surgeons out of practice because they had to flee the conflict area and hospitals were out of service.