UN, S. Sudan urge NGOs in Unity state to coordinate health services

By Bonifacio Taban Kuich

April18, 2011 (BENTIU) – Delegations from the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) and the UN World Health Organization (WHO) visited the ministry of health in Unity state on Saturday to assess the child health care conditions in the oil-rich region.

The teams came to Unity state to cover the emergency conditions in the event of the outbreak of disease. Abdi Aden Mohamed, WHO head office officer for South Sudan said, “We came out with a solution to improve health coordination, sharing information and to responding to emergency cases.”

“We should vaccinate children in South Sudan, children are the future of South Sudan and is also their right to be vaccinated,” he underlined.

GoSS director general for community public health, Luol Riak said that their mission was to supervise and prepare for emergencies and to link with non-governmental organisations, offering health services with the state Ministry of Health.

The state has been facing a lot of challenges in the health facilities particularly children care, over 100 have died because of poor health management in the state. As the World Health Organization and the GoSS will have joint hands towards child care […] in Unity state.

Unity state is one of the wealthiest in South Sudan in terms of oil production, but there has been little in the way of spending on health care to improve facilities and service. The results are child and maternal mortality rates that are among the highest in the world.

(ST)