Juba hospital demands an apology from South Sudan Police
By Ngor Arol Garang
September 13, 2009 (ABYEI) — The administration of Juba Teaching Hospital has today demanded an honest explanation and apology for excessive use of power to beat health workers, who staged a non-violent strike earlier, by police forces.
On Thursday September 10 policemen rounded the main hospital in Juba and began beating the doctors in front of their patients. The repression followed a one day strike organized by the doctors to protest the bad working conditions in Southern Sudan particularly payment of their incentives that has now been delayed for a total of nine months.
Speaking by phone from Juba, an official at Juba Teaching Hospital who requested anonymity said, the reaction by the police to the peaceful strike by health workers for nonpayment of their arrears for a period almost one year was completely nothing but embarrassing act.
“You cannot indiscriminately beat and order an arrest to silent people from demanding their rights, this is inhuman and an act that should not be allowed to repeat itself unless government of Southern Sudan together with Central Equatoria State are dishonoring their promises and commitments to provide basic health services to the southern populaces,” he said.
Another eye witness, whose wife is still admitted in the hospital, also said had witnessed entrance of the heavily armed police which conducted loutish room-to-room search removing health workers on duties from attending to patients and forcefully asked them to leave the hospital without explanation the same day.
“My wife was not attended to by any health practitioner that day till I had to go and buy medicines on description card from private pharmacy,” he added.
He further said “indeed it was unprofessional behavior that the government ought to do something about it urgently so police professionalism is not abused by some individuals;” he said adding not all police forces in Juba behave like the group he saw on Thursday.
“We have been very concerned about police behaviors, and the use of arms to threaten people when demanding rights, is not an honest way to fix problem,” said another worker at the hospital.
Asked whether they know names of police personnel involved, the hospital official said knows many of them including a neighbor whom he said confessed to him later in the evening of the same day that they were implementing instructions given to them from Juba North police headquarters.
However, Police Inspector General, General Peter Wal, said had formed an investigation team to look into allegations emanating from Juba teaching hospital.
He said received information orally that nurses went on strike in Juba hospital and were destroying everything. “This was what I heard from junior police officers talking about it before my office and did not pay full attention,” he added.
“I was only surprised today by media reports that police entered and beat nurses including doctors in Juba teaching hospital indiscriminately. Who can do this?” He posed.
“No, No, media must be exaggerating something here and this is why joint committee from both GOSS and Central Equatoria State is formed to investigate,” he stressed.
General Wal also asked the media to conduct thorough investigation before reporting such conflicting stories.
“These reports are hurting and tarnishing police professionalism,” he said urging media cooperation with government on issues pertaining to public saying “media and police are eyes and legs of the public hence must cooperate.”
(ST)
mathonebai oyee
Juba hospital demands an apology from South Sudan Police
not only apology this must be treated as official misconduct which shall be investigates by an independent body. south sudan should form crime misconduct commission to prosecutes those who perform beyond their boundaries role of professional conduct.
Peter Aarai
Juba hospital demands an apology from South Sudan Police
What I wants is to gives an apology to nurses and hospital staffs, without these nurses where we are going to put sick people at? Since that oyai ajak gave an apology to foriegn diplomats, same thing as to be given to Sudanese citizens too, I’m demanding to them in fairness way as they have did to their European, American diplomats.
Akol Liai Mager
Juba hospital demands an apology from South Sudan Police
I hope there is no Public Order Police (POP) in Juba. A use of excessive force that result in bodily harm to unarmed civilians by the police, army and security agents is not acceptable and SSLA must intervene to stop it immediately and send those who beat innocent persons to stand before court of law.
There are administrative disciplinary ways to deal with workers if they are acting illegally or their actions are harmful.
The Police need to do this job to those who are using fire arms everywhere in the South right now to rob, kill, abduct children and force elderly, women and children to homelessness.
It doesn’t make sense to have SPLM law makers fighting injustice laws in Khartoum to be written off while the Police in the South is applying them at their backs.
This incident has indicated a need for Police forces to be sent to appropriate training institutions to be taught more about their roles in society.
Anyway, regarding demanded apology, the minister of Health must talk to his counterpart the Police (Interior) minister to sort out a just and genuine resolution. If fail, the minister for health should take the matter to the ministry of Justice and SSLA to carry out their investigations.
BUSTA 2
Juba hospital demands an apology from South Sudan Police
We know those who were behind it!!
In the Police, there are some police who act according the ways they behave in their homeland in Junglei which is not acceptable in the lover Equatoria State.
Sorry for those who were beaten by those fake police who know things about law. Brothers and Sister just be edure soon than later we will do away with those inhuman police.
Brother in Christ,
Busta 2
Monye Jur
Juba hospital demands an apology from South Sudan Police
Dear Mr. Police Inspector General, General Peter Wal
Indeed you are idiot and stupid in mind to said that you are surprised to find this information on media and that its and exaggerations. This shows that either you are the one behind this scene since the news came to you that nurses went under strike and started to destroy every thing in the Hospital or you are there in your office doing nothing at all other than stealing money.
It’s indeed true that doctors were beaten badly, go right now to Juba Teaching Hospital and find it by your self as some has already disappeared fearing beating.
The doctors were even forcefully removed with beatings from their resident home just opposite to the Hospital, just go right now there and you will find that it was locked.
It’s not an exaggeration Mr. foolish Police Inspector General, General Peter Wal. Not every news on media is believed to be an exaggeration. The habit of your police gangs is very bad and arrogant. Why are they seems to be from one tribe? That could be the reason why they acted in that habit as seems they were instructed on their actions.
Of course there were some northern Doctors working in Juba Teaching Hospital and doing their excellent human work, they were too badly treated as jalabas and some run to where they came from.
The problem now is that there is a big vacuum left in the hospital; will the nurses treat all the cases? Will the remaining Doctors work truly as before? Will the apology helps the current situation in the Hospital? And why are the Doctor’s arrears not been paid for nine months and they were silences? Why GoSS wanted to take the full control and responsibility of Juba Teaching Hospital from the Central Equatoria State and is not able to run its management? Is this how we are going to run the said capital main Hospital in the south Sudan now or in the near future?
What is your intentions and plan Mr. Geir Chuang Along, the interior Minister on the act of your barbaric gangs? Now who is going to treat the suffering patience?
Our president Salva Kiir must intervene and asks the interior minister, Health Minister and the management of the Juba teaching Hospital for an explanation on this matter to find out the exact person responsible for this issue and also so that the barbaric police gangs must be brought to book.
This is the first kind of event in the entire world that the doctors were beaten and chased by force from their work. Shame and curse on us for the suffering people in the Hospital and for those who lost their lives because of this incident. Let the Doctors be treated well because they doing great job by rescuing lives. Let their arrears be paid, and let this matters never repeat it self.
And may God forgive our evil works and open our big eyes to see well and remove the dirts on our ears to understand well.
Arthur
Juba hospital demands an apology from South Sudan Police
The police should not just give explanation and apology because they are not enough they should judge those who were behind this cruel act. Regardless of anything else those people were on their right and they didn’t harm anybody or anthing why should they be beaten. This sector is the most important in each country or government system but nobody to care for them because those who running the GOSS dont get their medication here in this country, once they feel headache or fever they fly to outside for treatment and leaving the poor peolpe who dont have the ability to die here. Please GOSS fear GOD in what you are doing and give a litte from the money of petrol that you are consuming to the poor citizens in term of services.