A Christian medical and humanitarian organization, Johanniter International (JOIN), yesterday handed over a newly constructed primary health care unit to the Western Bahr el Ghazal State government.
The center, which cost 200,000 Euros, is located a kilometer south of Wau town and will provide nutrition for children, malaria treatment, a referral system to Wau main hospital, and maternity health. It has over seven wards and caters to only women and children.
According to JOIN’s state project coordinator, Benjur Paul Anthony, the project started in 2018 after the organization got funds from the well-wishers in Germany.
“This project started in 2018 when Johanniter got funding from well-wishers who are based in Germany. They gave Johanniter some money to support the people of New Site,” Benjur said. “This facility that we are handing over to the government today is a government facility that was supposed to be built by the government but due to lack of resources, the government was not able to accomplish and Johanniter took the initiative to support the government of Western Bahr-el-Ghazal state.”
He said JOIN was implementing the South Sudan policy of taking the town to the people.
“The policy of South Sudan says ‘take the town to the villages’ and most of the people suffering are the people in the outskirts of the town. They don’t have access to the main hospital because it is far from them, these are vulnerable people, that is why Johanniter decided to support New Site,” Benjur added.
According to Madut Kon Mawein, the chief of the area, women in labor had difficulty reaching Wau Teaching Hospital.
“Women in New Site were not able to reach Wau main hospital, including people of Nazareth area, but now our people will be able to get the nearest services,” Chief Kon said.
Lidia Joseph, a resident of New Site, said since the area was not having such a facility, women were suffering a lot and some died during labor.
“Before having this primary health unit, we are suffering. Sometimes a woman may go into labor at night and there is no transport. Sometimes their children die but after having this clinic since 2019, things have changed,” Lidia said.
For his part, the minister of health in Western Bahr-el-Ghazal State, Dr. Vincent Taban, urged the residents of New Site to utilize services regardless of their ethnicity.
“The services here should not be only for the residents living in New Site, everybody whether from China has a right to get services,” Dr. Taban said.