Category: Health

Some patients who visit Bor state hospital said no doctors or nurses attend to them. Early this week, health workers in Bor Jonglei state issued an ultimatum unless the government listened to them and cleared their arrears.

A mother of three years daughter Ms.Akon Atem said her child is severely suffering from malaria.

She stated they spent two days in the hospital admission word and could not get any treatment. Ms. Atem said the child is in severe pain, and no doctor or nurse is attending to her.

She said that her child is supposed to be given a Quinine drip, but doctors and nurses left the facilities, leaving them helpless. “The doctors came and told us that they will not be working today. Only God knows what will happen to us,” said Akon.

Another resident in Bor Nyang Akol Majak said she came to see a doctor with her son, who has skin rashes. Surprisingly, she found the outpatients’ department locked and the doctor absent.

She appeals to the government to address the issue quickly and save lives at the hospital.
Doctor Ajak Garang Akech, who works in Bor hospital, says they stopped working until their grievances were met.

Mr.Chot Kueth Kulong is the director-general in the state ministry of health in Jonglei. He said that he is aware of the doctor’s ongoing strike.

He urges doctors to return to work and save lives while discussing with partners to solve the incentives issue. “Within the next two weeks, I hope that they will get their incentives,” Kulong said.

The health workers have been demanding unpaid covid 19 risk incentives and personal protective equipment for safety.

Health workers at Bor State Hospital threaten to go on strike over unpaid incentives and poor working conditions. Doctors say the plan to walk off the job and look for greener pastures came as frustration for not being paid regularly make it difficult to support their families.

Doctor Goop Joh Ayom, representing the medical staff at Bor state hospital, narrated that health workers have gone for more than two months without incentives. Doctor Ayom further says she and other medical staff will walk off the job if the government does not address their grievances within the next 48 hours.

“We are suffering, and we need our incentives. Even here in the hospital, we don’t have essential drugs; we write papers to patients to go outside and buy drugs, and some patients cannot afford the drugs. After 72 hours, if there is no response, we will stop working. Only 48 hours are remaining.” Ayom said

Doctor Ayom says it is difficult for medical personnel to treat patients in the emergency room without lifesaving drugs, which they ran out of 3 months ago. She says patients have been dying due to a lack of medicine at the facility.

Nurse John Anyieth Malaak says the medical staff has persevered despite the situation hoping their incentives would be paid but are now feeling frustrated.

 “Up to this juncture, there is not any single paracetamol in the hospital, and patients are sent out to go and buy drugs. And that is the difficult situation we are in. When there is an emergency, we struggle to ensure that the patient’s relative reaches the nearby clinic to bring any emergency drug needed. Otherwise, we have no drugs to help the patients.” Anyieth said

Deng Nhial works with Medico Del Mundo, an NGO paying incentives for medical staff at Bor State Hospital declined to comment.

Jonglei state health Minister Atong Kuol Manyang says she is aware of the doctors’ request and apologized for the delay in paying their incentives but urged the hospital’s medical staff to continue working and saving lives, saying the government will soon address their grievances.

 “We know they are right; this is their incentive, and they deserve to be paid that looking at the type of work that they do saving people’s lives, so we know that they work hard, we rely on them for the health of our community, and we know the important role they play within the health sector” she added.

Minister Manyang urges the Bor hospital medical staff to be patient, saying the ministry will resolve their grievances.

Incentives for staff at Bor state hospital range from 100 to 600 US dollars. A medical doctor receives 600 dollars, a clinical officer gets 400 dollars, while nurses and midwives receive 300 dollars.

The health authority has reported the successful operation of eight patients with fistula cases from Jonglei state who underwent surgery at Juba Teaching Hospital on Friday.

South Sudan Nurses and Midwifery Association initiate the process of providing medication to affected people without charge.

A fistula is a permanent abnormal passageway between two organs in the body, caused mainly by complicated delivery. The UNFPA organization supports the program through the International Rescue Committee (IRC) organization.

Mary Anok is one of the patients who underwent surgery in Juba.

After battling fistula for two years, she shares her happiness through Mingkaman 100 FM and says she is restored.

“I was successfully operated, and I am thankful to the doctors and organizers. I am restored, and do not worry again. Now, I want to tell my fellow women battling fistula in their homes and fear disclosing in the hospital. This is the right time to use these services for free. Comfort is the best, and there is nothing to fear in health.”

Mawut Awan Kuoni is the public relations officer at South Sudan Nurses and Midwifery Association.

He says they are again calling for women with fistula to register with his office in Bor to undergo operations scheduled for the second week of November.

“We are calling on another group to register with us in these two weeks to go for fistula operation. It is free of charge and available for you. You can get me at Bor emergency ward. That is where I work, and I will register your names and get your contact to keep you updated about the day for surgery.”

Kuoi further stated that Amref Health Africa organization will provide free transport and treatment to the registered beneficiaries in the coming operations.

Last year, 200 fistula patients were operated on without cost in Aweil, Northern Bahr El Gazal.

The first batch of United States donated Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccines arrived in Juba this morning. The 152,950 doses were received at Juba International Airport by Health Minister Elizabeth Acuei Yol and The U.S. Chargé D’affaires, David Renz.

The single-dose J&J COVID-19 vaccines are the third batch of several vaccine shipments to arrive in the country through the support of the COVAX Facility.

The U.S. Charge’d Affaires, David Renz, says the vaccines are part of worldwide United States efforts to combat the global pandemic and help South Sudan respond to COVID-19.

“These vaccines are the next step in our support for protecting the health and wellbeing of the South Sudanese people and for bringing the COVID-19 pandemic to an end,” said David Renz at JIA this morning while receiving the vaccines

The J&J vaccine requires only one dose to protect against the virus but, AstraZeneca takes two dosages to vaccinate fully.

South Sudan government has welcomed the donation from the United States, saying the vaccines will expand the protection mechanism against COVID and its variants.

Minister of Health Elizabeth Achuei Yol said the target people to get vaccinates are young adults to offer protection against delta variant. She urges the public to stop listening to rumors about the effects of vaccines.

“The delta variant is with us, and there is no compromise between the young person and elder in this virus. So, you take your time and come forward to take the vaccines. If there is information you want to know, come to us and were the right people to ensure your safety,” Achuei said.

World health organization Country representative Dr. Fabian Ndenzako warned the public not to mix the vaccines from different companies. He says one should consistently get vaccinated either for Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca.

“Effectiveness and guidance on how to use those vaccines are particular to each of these vaccines because there was clinical trial and guideline during the development of these vaccines were achieved through those processes. So, if we use the vaccines, we must follow that as part of the recommendation,” Ndenzako stated.

He encourages adults in South Sudan to get vaccinated to limit the spread of COVID-19 and help protect individuals, families, and communities.

The COVAX Facility is a global partnership comprised of Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF, and WHO, to ensure all countries can equitably access COVID-19 vaccines.

The government has released its finding over a medical worker murdered in Panyijiar County, Unity State, by unidentified culprits at large. The forensic report was presented on Sunday by the undersecretary in the Ministry of Health.

Minister of Cabinet Affairs Dr. Elia Lomoro issued a statement stated that the report confirmed: “Dr. Lousi Edward died of homicidal death, citing reparative cuts at the neck, injured major blood vessels of the neck and sustenance of stab wounds to the arms indicating struggle injuries.” Juba Military hospital’s forensic report was presented to the government on Sunday last week.

Late Edward worked for International Rescue Committee –IRC was murdered on May 22 May this year. That forced the organization to suspend its operation in Ganyiel Payam of Panyijiar County temporarily.

An anonymous killing of Dr. Louis in Southern Unity received broader condemnation from the UN, youth, civil society, and government described it as “Heinous and inhumane.”

The national government has directed Unity state Governor Joseph Monytuil to deploy security forces to investigate and arrest culprits.

Minister of Cabinet Affairs also urged SPLM-IO to allow the legally appointed commissioner to take his duty and self-claims Commissioner Handover the area to state government.

In February, President appointed William Gatgiek Mabor as Panyijiar County commissioner under the SPLM-IO ticket. Since his appointment, he was never to the county due to controversies from the community. A former humanitarian worker Mr. Loat Gatluok was identified as a self-imposed county commissioner who is still performing the duty as commissioner.

The government said such controversy should end to allow a smooth implementation of the peace agreement. Authority apology to the health professions for not paying attention to their concern and appreciated them for ended the strike.

Healthcare Workers agreed to reconsider and ease their peaceful strike in what was described as “humanity ground” for all South Sudanese. The medical team said they resumed duties on June 13 June, 2021.

Medicine San Frontiers has dismissed its seven national teams from their jobs over demonstration. The dismissed persons believe to be the ring leaders who led the organization’s staff strike in Agok MSF hospital.

In February this year, MSF staff went on strike over contradictory letters from the office of national labor and national revenue authority.

The dismissal remains unclear because victims have not yet received a formal communication letter from the organization. They said MSF has submitted a sacking letter to the labor office and asks the group to get the letter in the office of labor and public service.

The controversy that occurred from the letter in the labor office indicates that the National Service Insurance Fund, NSIF has to be tax-free, and NRA stated that it should be TAXABLE which prompted the strike.

The Team leader for the sacked group, Mr. Daniel Reec Ador, questioned the dismissal procedure. He said the labor office has no direct roles in an issued letter to the accused staff.

The letter is supposed to be issued by MSF. He asked the organization to provide them with the dismissal letters or go to court.

“If the government is aware of the policy, then they will take back our dismissal letters to MSF and handed them over to us, and if they are not aware of the policy, then they continue keeping those letters. And this issue will take us to court to tell us if this is the right procedure,” he warned.

Abyei RRC officer Mr. Kuaja Yai Kuol clarified the organization had accused the workers of doing illegal strikes without notification, taking control of the hospital.

Kuol accredited that organization has carried the procedural dismissal based on the labor policy.

“We have seen all the procedures and are all correct. So, if anyone has a complaint, we can let him or her come to the labor office or go to court if he/she is not satisfied. So, this is it, either you go to court or come to the labor office”.

Last month, nine MSF committees were suspended indefinitely and warned to write an explanation letter to the MSF office indicating the reasons for the strike.