In Nyala, western South Darfur state, where he was born, water was scarce and precious, reserved for drinking and livestock. The thought of learning to swim? Absurd, even reckless. Anyone suggesting such a notion would face sharp criticism.
Yet, Dr Mudathir Ahmed Yahya Bashir, now the Medical Director of Tokar Hospital, in eastern Red Sea state, was passionate about swimming. He only began learning after his family moved to Khartoum, where water wasn’t as rare. This doesn’t mean Nyala is a barren, waterless region—rather, government neglect often left its residents deprived of essential services.
We all know that when officials enjoy the privileges of power, they focus more on protecting themselves than serving the public.
Dr Mudathir noticed this early on and chose to act differently. After graduating as a doctor in 2019 from the Eastern Sudan College of Medical Sciences and Technology, Red Sea State, he made it a point to go above and beyond in serving the people.
When the Baraka River flooded on August 25th, submerging vast parts of Tokar and causing severe damage, government officials in Red Sea State were unprepared. Local employees, hampered by a lack of resources, were sent on mandatory leave due to the disaster.
But Dr Mudathir Ahmed rose to the occasion. He was the only staff member who reported to Tokar’s general hospital that day.
Mudathir lives in the doctors’ housing, about 80 meters from the hospital. That day, the path between his home and the hospital had turned into a river, with water levels between 100 and 150 centimeters deep. With limited resources, he had no choice but to swim through the floodwaters to reach the hospital, where a woman urgently needed a cesarean section.
“The disaster exceeded what available resources and equipment could handle,” Dr Mudathir told Atar magazine’s correspondent. “It called for human effort beyond what the state provided. I chose to save the most critical patients that day, which is why I swam through the rushing waters to get to the hospital.”
Although he had never tested his swimming skills under such conditions, Dr Mudathir reflected: “Swimming was a hobby I dabbled in back in Khartoum and while studying in Red Sea State. That day, I realised I could swim reasonably well.”
Tokar, neglected by successive governments until the Baraka River flood thrust it back into the spotlight, was once renowned—159 years ago, it was home to Africa’s first cotton farming project.
Today, Tokar Hospital is the primary government facility serving over 37,000 residents, according to the latest census. Dr Mudathir estimates that the hospital serves 85 per cent of the local population.
The hospital provides services in pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, surgery, and dentistry. Its staff includes three general practitioners, a gynaecology specialist, and seven medical assistants.
Before the war, the hospital received between 150 and 200 patients daily. However, with the suspension of health insurance services, the number dropped to 50–60 per day. After the floods and resulting isolation, patient visits fell even further, to between 20 and 25 daily.
The most common cases treated at the hospital include malnutrition, watery diarrhoea, colds, fevers, and malaria.
