Payinjiar commissioner promises security escort for patients and NGO’s on Payinjiar-Mayiandit road

By Bonifacio Taban Kuich

April 18, 2011 (PAYINJIAR- BENTIU) – Payinjiar county commissioner Peter Gai Joak has promised to provide a security escort when referring patients in response to the instability caused by cattle raiding on the Payinjiar-Mayiandit road.

Commissioner Joak made the promise when meeting the only two organizations operating in the county on Sunday, to ask for their assistance in providing health care.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Sign of Hope (Christian organization) deliver health services across the county, which is about 45 to 50 sq km.

Joak said that he appreciated the services offered by IRC and the State Ministry of Health there in the county, where health provision remains a big challenge.

The commissioner Joak thanked the two agencies for devoting their support to the community. Joak singled out the IRC’s role in Payinjiar, referring to them as the leading agency in the county as they had been working there since 1995.

John Kwenda the field health manager of the International Rescue Committee highlighted their achievements and future plans. IRC, he said, have set up one Primary Health Care Centre (PHCC) and 8 Primary Health Care Units (PHCU) functional in the county. These Primary health Care Units cover almost a quarter of the population he said.

Kwenda said the main challenges are accessibility to areas due to lack of and poor roads, especially during the rainy season when roads becomes impassible.

He anticipate that this would make referring patients to Leer hospital for further attention or medication would remain a problem. He believes that patients lives may be lost because of it including mothers dying during childbirth.

Joak called for a strong link between the agencies and the South Sudan Relief Commission in monitoring and supporting the Internal Displaced People (IDPs) returning to the country.

Over 5,000 returnees have returned to the country from North Sudan and other parts of the South since December 2010.

In January the South chose overwhelmingly to secede from the North in a referendum agreed as part of a 2005 peace deal that ended over two decades of civil war.

Many of the returnees remain in shelters and bad conditions according to the commissioner. He urged the agencies to provide assistance such as mosquito nets, food, non-food items and health care.

(ST)