Barriers to women's access to healthcare in Sudan: insights into male influence and structural constraints.

Authors

Ahmad Mohammad Al Zamel, Marafi Jammaa Ahmed, Lamya Bashir Eisa, Farah Saifaldin Abdlrhman Ahmed, Omama Alkheir Mohammed Ahmed Alkheir, Altom Alhaja Hamad Alhaja, Amjad Mohammed Tibin Fadlallah, Mona Yasseen Abass Mokhtar, Mona Yasir Dafaalla Ahmed, Sami Fatehi Abdalla, Reel Hizabr Ghulamallah Mohammed, Intisar A M A Elalawy, Abdulkader Shaar, Doha Sami Fatehi, Ali Awadallah Saeed

Published in

BMC health services research. Jun 19, 2026. Epub Jun 19, 2026.

Abstract

Women in Sudan face significant challenges in access to healthcare due to financial hardship, male decision-making influence and geographic limitations, contributing to delayed care-seeking barriers to maternal and reproductive healthcare, and persistent health inequities.
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 760 Sudanese women aged 18 years and above using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews across urban and rural areas, and associations with healthcare accessibility were examined using binary logistic regression analysis.
Financial limitations were a major barrier, with 24.8% of women reporting rare or no financial ability to access healthcare. Additionally, 32.1% always required male permission to seek care and 7.6% experienced healthcare delays due to male family members' decisions. Women living more than 10 km from a healthcare facility were 7.1 times more likely to report inadequate access. Nearly half of the participants 49.6% strongly disagreed that male family members understood the importance of timely healthcare.
Women's access to healthcare in Sudan remains constrained by interconnected economic, sociocultural, and geographic barriers. The findings highlight that urgent policy reforms are needed to expand affordable and geographically accessible healthcare services, strengthen women's financial and decision-making autonomy, and promote community-based interventions that engage men in supportive healthcare practices.
Not applicable.

PMID:
42321766
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Jun 2026.

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