Health authorities in Walgak Payam of Akobo County in South Sudan's Jonglei State say the area has been hit by a severe shortage of drugs since May, amidst rising malaria and diarrheal cases.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Monday, Tim Reath Jang, the health director there said the Walgak Primary Health Care Centre (PHCC) has been operating without drugs while cases of malaria and other illnesses surge.
“Daily, we get 30 to 40 patients. We diagnose them with malaria but there are no drugs. We prescribe for them to get treatment in the market. Cases of diarrhea have also been reported among children. There are also some suspected cases of Kala-azar (Leishmaniasis),” Reath said.
He added, “For severe cases, we just send them to Langkien town, more than 100 kilometers from Walgak. The mortality rate is also very high for example since May seven people have died of malaria.”
The health official appealed for an urgent health intervention, saying the situation may worsen as rains start.
Changkuoth Kueth, a Walgak resident, said: “We are suffering here in Walgak. We have to walk 175 kilometers to get treatment. Last week, I had to take my daughter to a private facility where there are no laboratory services. And at the PHCC there is nothing. People are just dying.”
For his part, Mashush Tung, the Walgak Payam administrator, decried the deteriorating health situation in the area and called on the government and its health partners country-wide to provide the vital health supplies to avert further deaths.