South Sudan’s health service shuns the poor and needy

In South Sudan many are kept waiting for complicated and expensive procedures. There are few skilled surgeons in South Sudan and people with little money have scant hope of treatment. The Niles visited one of these victims, Mayom Anyier, who has struggled to get medical care for two years.
 
The Niles: Who are you and what happened to you?

Mayom Ayier: I am 27 years old and come from Lakes State. In 2010, I was in a car accident as I travelled from Lakes State to Wau, to register for university. The accident caused a severe injury to my urinary system, so now I use a urinary catheter.

This catheter is changed twice a week by a doctor from the International Medical Corps called Patrick Nyike. My injuries were so serious that I had to be flown to Khartoum for treatment. While in Khartoum, I could not find the help I needed. The doctors said it is very difficult for my medication to be done in Sudan.
 
The Niles: What did the doctors recommend?
 
Mayom Ayier: They said I need surgery to reconnect my urinary system, something that cannot be done in either Juba or Khartoum. The doctors said I could be operated on in Kenya but I can not afford to travel. I returned from Khartoum a month ago and I stay here at the National Teacher Training Institute, where a transit camp was set up for the returnees from Sudan.
 
The Niles: Who do you live with now?
 
Mayom Ayier: I live alone, in isolation. My family is poor and lives far away in Lakes State. I do not have support from my parents. My mother is very far away. My father is old and cannot even support himself. When I was in Khartoum I hoped that if I went back to my own country, I would get what I want. Government officials only spoke to me when white people from Non Violent Peace Force came along.
 
The Niles: What message would you like to send to your government?
 
Mayom Ayier: I want my people to reach out and help me. I want to go back to school and finish my studies so that I can contribute to the development of this country. I want normal life back. As you can see, I currently use a simmer frame to walk, my lower system was badly affected even my legs can not support my movements anymore. I am in desperate need of help.

Lack of quality health care

The senior medical officer at Juba Teaching Hospital, Mabior Deng, said the surgery would cost up to twenty-thousand US dollars, or one hundred thousand South Sudanese pounds.
 
A recent press statement from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said women, children and the wounded remain particularly vulnerable because of the lack of quality health care in South Sudan.
 
But a doctor speaking on condition of anonymity said almost everyone in the country is at risk due to the poor health standards.
 
I don’t think the government is putting any effort in improving health services since they were destroyed during the war period. Government hospitals lack virtually everything,” said the doctor.
 
Recently, President Kiir announced that many of the country’s top officials had embezzled around four billion US dollars meant for health, education and infrastructure projects. A row with Sudan also led to the shutdown of South Sudan’s oil production, which provided nearly 98 percent of the government budget.
 
Many people with debilitating health problems are victims of war, disease or accidents, and they have been forced to seek help on their own.

And there are thousands, like Mayom, whose futures remain uncertain. Still Mayom continues to hope that he will live a normal life again.