The governor of Aweil state said on Thursday he has issued an administrative order cancelling introduction of a system requiring people visiting patients in Aweil Hospital to pay about 10 South Sudanese Pounds.
“We have stopped it after holding a meeting with the minister of health who issued the order. People have now resumed visiting patients in hospital or for any other reasons without payment, Governor Yournew Wol Kuot told Radio Tamazuj on Thursday.
Governor Wol explained that the action of the minister of health was done in good faith because he wanted people to contribute for the continuity of health services.
“You know the current economic situation in the country has affected the provision of services to the expectation of the people. The people working in the hospital do not have resources of their own. They get the resources from the government to provide services but when these resources take time, the services should not stop,” he said.
“People who are sick need care, they need medicines, they need transport but resources are limited. They are overstretched. And people like in other countries, like in America they pay these taxes to help in the provision of services but here people do not have anything,” he added.
The top state official pointed out that the order was necessitated by the need for electricity in the hospital. He called on citizens to report anybody found collecting money at the hospital's gate to security officials.