South Sudan: Making sure primary health care services for displaced people

Juba ‒ Cecilia Achuwor, a 38-year-weak mother of six children, is one in every of the heaps of of thousands of refugees and returnees who rating crossed the border into South Sudan for the reason that origin of the war in neighbouring Sudan 16 months ago. “My husband stays in Khartoum,” she says. “We separated from him with none verbal change. He doesn’t know the put we are and we also don’t know the put he’s. I am right here alone with the children, and they’re all in uncomfortable health,” she says. 

Achuwor, a South Sudanese nationwide, is at a transit centre shut to Renk, a itsy-bitsy town that borders Sudan to the north. Since the origin of the Sudanese war, nearly 60% of the 600 000 refugees and returnees who rating entered South Sudan rating done so thru two points of entry shut to Renk. Extra now not too prolonged ago, a brand new war has begun correct to the east of Renk, and humanitarian staff rating reported people arriving on foot thru the bush. 

“Rather then coming from an relate care for, utter, Khartoum that had correct rating admission to by motorway, now we’re seeing people literally walking into South Sudan for care and protection,” says Dr Brendan Dineen, World Health Group (WHO) Emergency Preparedness and Response Officer in South Sudan. “So, the probability is worse than it used to be previously, and we are seeing many health challenges, humanitarian challenges, and protection challenges on a every day foundation.”

Refugees and returnees normally level to with a differ of infectious ailments, apart from power ailments. “A minimal of 50% of the cases are communicable ailments. Malaria is on high of the list, followed by acute respiratory tract infections and we are seeing a upward thrust in acute watery diarrhoea,” says Dr William Nazario, a health care provider with Global Clinical Corps. 

In the period in-between, Dr Ayuel Deng, Clinical Officer for Renk County highlights that increasingly people are presenting with hypertension, diabetes and cancers and require power medication and specialist services.

WHO is supporting county health authorities to coordinate the health response for returnees and refugees. At two transit centres shut to Renk, the Group is offering supportive supervision to three health companies ‒ Global Clinical Corps, Relief Global and World Imaginative and prescient Global ‒ who bring primary health care services to 4000 refugees and returnees a week. 

This has helped to rating distinct better rating admission to to health services for these weak populations, who ought to endure refined cases at the transit centres. “The service right here is correct,” says Nailla Elhadi Hamid, a 40-year-weak refugee from Sudan. “I even brought my son right here, who’s in uncomfortable health with malaria, and the capsules is posthaste accessible. Before that, my sister had search pains and she stumbled on the capsules used to be also readily accessible.” 

Following a cholera outbreak in Sudan in September 2023, WHO has trained spherical 92 health care staff from health facilities spherical Renk in cholera surveillance, prevention, therapy and hold an eye on. The Group has established a cholera screening centre at the Wunthou level of entry. Since December 2023, 320 000 people had been assessed by health staff, now not only for cholera, nonetheless also assorted infectious ailments and health cases. “We also provide oral rehydration resolution because the put people rating diagram from, they’re faded.” says John Toch, a scientific nurse at the centre. 

Since the delivery of the war, WHO has also disbursed 119 metric heaps of medical provides and equipment to take care of nearly 680 000 people, including kits for a differ of infectious ailments and malnutrition. As a part of its tainted-border collaboration, WHO South Sudan country office in partnership with the WHO Sudan country office delivered 51 metric heaps of emergency health kits to achieve 830 000 people residing in war-affected communities shut to the border. “We in actuality cherish WHO, because they enhance us loads through provides to our partners,” says Deng. 

“WHO, health authorities and implementing partners are participating every day to bring health services to refugees and returnees hoping for a better existence,” says Dr Humphrey Karamagi, WHO Representative in South Sudan. “With out our donors this would now not be possible. So, working along with others, WHO will continue to enhance the health emergency response in South Sudan.”