Jok Jolting and wife Arik came from Warrap in July to seek help on the treatment of their first child. (Courtesy).

A family in Juba is appealing for financial assistance to transfer a baby with birth deformities for medication outside the country.

Jok Jolting and his wife Arik came from Warrap State in July 2023, hoping to get help in the costly treatment of their one-month-old child.

The male infant is suffering from spina bifida – a condition in which the spine and the spinal cord do not develop completely.

Jok said the surgical operation for his first child demands at least 3,500 US dollars.

The couple said a Juba hospital has referred them to Uganda’s Mbale or India for the child’s treatment.

“This is the first child of my wife of mine, who is currently here with me, but this one was born with the child, so I come here on July 13th,” he told Eye Radio.

“I took the child to USURATUNA hospital for treatment, and the child was later sent to Juba Medical Complex, and they told me to take the child either to India or to MBale in order for the operation to be done.”

“So, the child has really a spina bifida as you have seen there, and he has also a club foot, so the feedback has not gone through.”

Spina bifida occurs when a developing baby’s spinal cord fails to develop or close properly while in the womb.

The birth defect is thought to result from a combination of genetic, nutritional and environmental risk factors, such as a family history of neural tube defects and folate (vitamin B-9) deficiency.

Meanwhile, the baby is also inflicted with club foot abnormality – a congenital (by birth) deformity in which the affected foot appears rotated internally at the ankle.

Birth deformities are widely occurring in South Sudan, especially among communities in the oil-producing areas.

The child’s father Jok Jolting can be reached for help on +211922002001.