Juba Teaching Hospital is awash in weapons. Soldiers and police officers accompany their wounded colleagues on the hospital grounds, guns at their sides. Armed bodyguards escort high-profile government guests.
The result? Reports of threats and shootings inside hospitals across the country, including the killing of doctors by gunmen. Earlier this week, I was accompanying a medical team from Hungary to one local hospital. They are in the country to help treat the wounded.
Suddenly, there was shouting and patients started running down the hallway. When a doctor asked them what was wrong, they said a policeman appeared to be about to start shooting. The doctor managed to reassure the patients that the police officer did not mean to be threatening and would not start shooting.
A few hours later, as we were walking around, a group of police barred the doctor from entering one of the wards – which is solely allocated to doctors. They did not give any reason.
Both doctors and security officials have jobs to do in improving the country. The police ensure our security, while the doctor protects the soul of the country. But the Ministry of Health needs to do a better job regulating the relationship between security forces and medical facilities, so that doctors can do their jobs without worrying about being shot.
One possible solution is to make everyone – soldiers, government officials and their bodyguards – check their weapons before they enter any medical facility. This is what happened at Wau Teaching Hospital, where local officials issued an order forbidding anyone from bringing weapons onto the medical grounds.
The other option is to make police and other members of the security forces get medical treatment only at a military hospital, where people are more comfortable being around weapons.
Please let us forge a healthy environment, free from weapons, so that our medical cadres can heal the sick and wounded.
Written by Kiden James, translated by Radio Tamazuj. This article originally appeared in the 16 January edition of Al Masier newspaper in Juba.
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