Leer County, located in Unity State, is currently grappling with a severe drug shortage, as reported by the county health department.
Nyalada Banding, the county Health director, expressed her concerns to Radio Tamazuj over the weekend, highlighting the dire situation faced by patients as health facilities run critically low on drug supplies.
According to Nyalada said two UN agencies were expected to supply drugs to Leer County, but unfortunately, they have not fulfilled their promises.
Nyalada emphasized the impact of this drug scarcity, stating, “The local authorities have raised concerns about the shortage of drug supplies in the county, which includes the hospital, 16 Primary Health Care Centers (PHCC), and four Primary Health Care Units (PHCU).” She further urged health partners responsible for supplying medicine to Leer County to intervene, stressing the dire need for drugs and the suffering endured by the community.
In her statement, Nyalada shed light on the critical situation faced by the community, explaining, “The emergency drugs we have received in Leer County in the last three months were sent by Unity State Ministry of Health with support from health partners and United Nations agencies. However, the drug supplies sent are not enough to cater to the needs of our large population. Sick people in our community are dying daily due to a shortage of drugs to treat illnesses such as malaria, amoeba, and diarrhoea.”
Meanwhile, Unity State’s acting Ministry of Health, Stephen Tot Jokchieng, confirmed that all seven (7) counties of Unity State are grappling with insufficient drug supplies. He clarified that it is not just health facilities in Leer County affected by the shortage of essential drugs, but rather, this is a widespread problem across all health facilities in the region.
Acting Health Minister Jokchieng expressed hope that drug supplies may arrive in Leer County and other counties within the next two weeks, offering a glimmer of optimism amidst the crisis.
Adding her voice to the desperate pleas for help, Nyayiena Reagan Tut, a resident of Leer County, shared her distress, “The County started experiencing drug scarcity in June of this year. We are requesting UN agencies to come to support us now with drug supplies; we are going to die if the government does not prioritize our issues.”