Patients at Chad’s national referral hospital were lying on the floor because beds were unavailable during Halina’s inspection on 28 October. At the Chad–China Friendship Hospital, emergency services were also receiving large numbers of patients, while striking doctors maintained only a minimum service.
The strike concerns the government’s failure to implement the harmonisation of doctors’ allowances, which Tchadinfos attributes to insufficient budget resources. Halina instructed health officials to find an immediate solution and mobilise resources to expand reception capacity and sustain care during the dengue outbreak.
The Friendship Hospital’s director, Dr Oumar Hamdan Iguemir, said the epidemic remained under control despite new cases being recorded daily. That assessment sits alongside the immediate operational problem: hospitals must accommodate more patients while addressing a dispute affecting the availability of medical staff.
The outbreak extends beyond the capital
A national situation report hosted by WHO records 4,004 suspected cases, 311 laboratory-confirmed cases and 11 deaths, with its provincial table dated 22 October. Six provinces were affected: N’Djamena, Wadi Fira, Ouaddaï, Sila, Batha and Ennedi Ouest. The capital accounted for 249 confirmed cases; Wadi Fira had the largest suspected caseload, at 1,965.
These figures supersede the earlier public count of 250 confirmed cases and eight deaths published on 19 October. The larger totals reflect a later surveillance snapshot, rather than deaths or infections occurring solely on 28 October.
The Friendship Hospital’s expansion offers no immediate relief: construction began in May 2026 and is scheduled to take 24 months. For patients now seeking treatment, the response therefore depends on existing wards, additional short-term capacity and a settlement that restores staffing. No settlement was announced during the visit.