Yolanda Awel Deng Juach, the minister of health, late last week visited Malakal town in Upper Nile State to assess the general health situation of returnees and internally displaced persons.

Speaking to journalists in Malakal town on Thursday, Awel described the health situation as dire.

“I visited the Upper Nile State capital, Malakal to assess the general health situation, the living conditions of the IDPs, and returnees from Sudan, as well as the health facilities,” she said. “This visit is mainly comprised of the assessment of the situation that is ongoing here in Malakal and I am also here to give moral support to my staff on the ground.”

“The visit is also to see the gaps, how these people (returnees) are feeding because there is a lot of malnutrition and they are crossing the border when they are very sick and that is why we need to focus 90 percent of our attention on improving the situation in Upper Nile and Unity State,” Minister Awel added. 

For her part, the UNICEF’s representative in South Sudan, Hamida Lasseko, said the UN will continue to support the government in improving the health sector.

“We are coming with the minister to support the ministry of health to be able to see the situation on the ground, services that are being delivered, challenges that the partners are facing, and how to move forward to support the most vulnerable population,” she said.

Upper Nile is among the states that have witnessed natural disasters like flooding and post-conflict impacts, most recently, the influx of returnees and refugees from Sudan.