Lakes state commissioner demands better health services

June 25, 2015 (RUMBEK) – The commissioner of Cueibet county in South Sudan’s Lakes state has said hisbon requires more health facilities to be put in place by government.

Isaac Mayom made the appeal recently at the county headquarters during the official inauguration of Cueibet county health department (CHD) office building in Lakes state.

“More health centres should be opened next year to cover the areas without especially the northern payams (Citcok, Tiap-Tiap and Pagor),” Mayom said.

“These areas have many people and are being served by only one health facility per payam,” he added.

Speaking as chief guest at occasion, Mayom stressed that when people are healthy, agricultural activities will be boosted and hence malnutrition cases will be lowered”.

According to the commissioner, Cueibet county has faced severe threat of famine which he mainly attributed to the inter-communal clashes last year between the northern and southern payams of Warrap state that disrupted their crop planting seasons.

Lakes state’s director for primary health care, said Tiap-Tiap, Bargel and Amethduol do not have proper structures and should be given priority when opportunity comes up for health centre construction.

“I urge the community members to support health activities through their full participation in terms of laying bricks and supporting the staff accommodation,” said Mabeng Achiek said.

He hailed Health Link South Sudan (HLSS) for renovating and furnishing the CHD offices.

Meanwhile, the County Medical Officer Gabriel Chingoth said although generally the quality of health service had remarkably improved, there is still refusal of family planning services and low turn-up for antennal care services in the vast Lakes state county.

HLSS’ county coordinator, Jude Koma assured the gathering of his organisation’s commitment to improve running of the 14 health facilities in the county and lobby more funds.

(ST).