Sudanese Surgeon Honored for War Hospital Leadership

In Omdurman, Sudan, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jamal Eltaeb spent three years leading Al Nao hospital through the chaos of the country's civil war, making life-or-death decisions as bombings and shortages threatened to shut it down entirely. As fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces engulfed the area near Khartoum starting in April 2023, Eltaeb remained at his post, refusing to abandon patients even when most staff fled and medical supplies dwindled to nothing.

Eltaeb, 54, took charge of the 100-bed facility in July 2023 after his previous hospital closed due to the conflict. What had been a quiet institution quickly became overwhelmed as the front lines shifted and casualties poured in. Electricity failed for weeks, forcing reliance on army-supplied fuel for generators. Antibiotics, painkillers and other essentials ran out, compelling staff to improvise with wooden beds, cloth splints and operations performed on the floor or in courtyard tents. "We were working everywhere, in tents, outside, on the floor, doing everything to save patients' lives," Eltaeb said during a tour of the damaged site.

The hospital endured at least four strikes by the...