Residents in rural Sudan say the Iran war has made it harder to get medicines

印刷用画面を開く

Posted

Category: Top Stories

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. spike / spaɪk / (v.) – to increase or rise very quickly and suddenly to a high level
    Example:

    The doctors noticed that the number of flu cases spiked as the season changed from autumn to winter.


  2. space / speɪs / (v.) – to increase the amount of time or the distance between things so they are not too close together
    Example:

    Many families had been spacing out their remaining water bottles and food until the next delivery of help reached their small town.


  3. shipment / ˈʃɪp mənt / (n.) – a large amount of goods or products that are sent together from one place to another, usually by ship, plane, train, or truck
    Example:

    They received a shipment of fresh fruits at the local market early this morning.


  4. reroute / riˈraʊt / (v.) – to send someone or something by a different road or a different path than the one planned at first
    Example:

    Because of the accident on the highway, all traffic is rerouted through a small town.


  5. stethoscope / ˈstɛθ əˌskoʊp / (n.) – a medical instrument that a doctor uses to listen to someone's heart or lungs
    Example:

    Students in medical school must learn how to use a stethoscope correctly to check for healthy breathing.


Article

Read the text below.

It’s always been challenging for Abbas Awad to find medicines in his village outside Sudan’s capital. But since the war in Iran, it’s become harder. Prices have spiked, and many pharmacies in the area are out of stock.


The latest war in the Middle East has far-reaching effects, including on countries ravaged by conflicts of their own. After three years of war in Sudan, a public health clinic in Qoz Nafisa village in Khartoum state is struggling to support thousands of people like the 61-year-old Awad.


He said he has been spacing out his medicine for glaucoma, worried he won’t be able to find more or afford it when he does. Money was already an issue because of the war at home, he said.


“Now we have the problem of the war in the Middle East. It’s just made things worse,” he said.


Aid groups say the Iran war has cut off vital shipping routes, upending their ability to get food and medicine to millions of people around the world in need. The standoff between the United States and Iran has essentially shut down the Strait of Hormuz, and other routes from strategic hubs such as Dubai have also been impacted.


Transport costs have spiked with higher fuel and insurance rates, further straining the ability to deliver supplies. The United Nations says there’s been up to a 20% cost increase on shipments, along with delays, as goods are rerouted.


The International Rescue Committee (IRC), which supports the clinic where Awad gets some of his medicines, said about $130,000 worth of pharmaceuticals intended for Sudan were stranded in Dubai for weeks and are only now making their way there.


The IRC says medicines and supplies such as antibiotics, painkillers, and stethoscopes that were supposed to be flown from the United Arab Emirates to Port Sudan were instead transported by road to neighboring Oman and then flown out.


“There’s still a real lag in the system. Shipments remain blocked or delayed, and that’s deeply worrying,” said Madiha Raza, associate director for global public affairs and communications for IRC.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • The United Nations reports a 20% increase in shipping costs because of the conflict. When prices for basic things like food or medicine go up because of events in another part of the world, who do you think should pay for that extra cost? Should it be the local customers, the government, or the international community? Why? Discuss.
  • If you were a business owner and your transportation costs suddenly spiked, would you keep your prices the same to help your community, or would you raise prices to save your business? Why do you say so? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • According to the article, there is a “real lag in the system” where shipments remain blocked, delayed, or rerouted for weeks. When you need something immediately, like medicine, how does it feel when you are told you can’t get it yet because of a delay? If the delay was caused by something happening far away, like a war, does that make you feel more patient or more frustrated? Why? Discuss.
  • Medicine and supplies that were “supposed to be flown” were instead “transported by road to neighboring Oman” because of the conflict. Do you think it is better to wait for a “perfect” solution that is fast, or to use any slow, difficult method available just to get the job done? Why? If you were in charge of a shipping company, how would you decide which deliveries are the most important, and how would you determine where those shipments should go first? Discuss.