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Boy dies due to lack of healthcare services in Lasu Payam

Author: Nyathong William | Published: January 19, 2025

Photo|Courtesy

Locals in Lasu Payam have decried lack of healthcare services in the area after a five-year-old boy died while being rushed to main hospital in Yei town on Thursday.

Lukadi Joseph, who is an eyewitness said that while on his way to Lasu for independent monitoring, he encountered the distressed couple who urgently needed help to reach the hospital.

He said despite not knowing them, he chose to assist.

“They stopped me around eight miles away from here (Yei) and they told me brother we don’t know you but help us, we want to rush our child to hospital because  the child is really sick.

“I told them it’s okay I will continue footing and let my brother my drop you to the hospital including his child. Few meters to the hospital, the child passed on and they had to return the dead body.”

Tragically, Mr Jospeh said the child passed away just before they could arrive at the hospital, leaving the couple to return with their child’s lifeless body.

According to him, Lasu Primary Health Care Center is well constructed, but is out of medical supplies and Human Resources to serve the vulnerable community there.

Mr. Joseph highlights the fragility of life and the critical challenges faced in accessing medical care, underscoring the importance of raising awareness about healthcare accessibility and its impact on families.

“I really became so angry and I had to go to the facility. I went around trying to find out exactly what’s happening.

“I realized the PHCC is renovated but it’s not functional. There are no medicines and there are no human resources on the ground there.”

Mr Joseph discovered this was the 4th similar case of a child dying due to inadequate healthcare at Lasu County since the beginning of this year.

“It’s the fourth case. Previously, the three children died in the same manner.”

On his part, a nurse who used to work at Lasu Hospital, Mabe John highlights the significant challenges villagers in the Lasu area face in accessing healthcare services.

Workers deserted Lasu Hospital leaving the locals without health care services|Courtesy

“They (locals) cried after seeing us really leaving the area due to lack of support. There was no funding, and even the medicines got finished.”

Mr Mabe said the hospital had started picking well after getting support form health partners but this was shorlived and the funders pulled out, forcing the workers to desert the health care facility.

“At the end, we were just cut off, there is no funding for us who are in the new facilities and then we decided to leave because we cannot stay there if there is no support for us.

Why, he said, “Because our families also need something to survive. Also, we need something to survive. We need to cater for our kids who are in school, even for their health needs.”

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