8th February 2025
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MSF clarifies shift to Unity State civil hospital amid IDPs protest

Author: Baria Johnson | Published: February 4, 2025

IDPs protest shifting of MSF operation to Bentiu Civil Hospital. (Social media).

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has clarified that its decision to shift healthcare services from Bentiu IDP camps to the state’s civil hospital is aimed to strengthen local healthcare system and ensure long-term sustainability.

The international medical charity made the statement after IDPs at the Bentiu camp staged a peaceful demonstration on Monday, Feb 3, 2025, to raise fears concerns about the relocation of MSF services to Bentiu town.

The displaced persons held posters saying they cherished the free healthcare offered by the charity and begged it not to exit its operation at the camp.

In a statement, MSF said the new collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH) is part of the aid organization’s plan to reposition all primary and secondary healthcare services from the Bentiu IDP camp facility by the end of 2025.

“We would like to clarify that while the organization is shifting service location, we are not leaving Bentiu, rather our aim is to strengthen the local healthcare system and ensure long-term sustainability,” the statement said.

It added that the repositioning of services is intended to not only maintain but also enhance delivery of healthcare services.

The medical charity explained that this transition is designed to strengthen and maintain comprehensive healthcare services through a partnership with the ministry of health ensuring to meet the medical needs of both IDPS and the people of Bentiu town and its surroundings.

“We understand that change can create uncertainty, we would like to reiterate that this transition is designed to strengthen and maintain comprehensive healthcare services through a partnership with the MoH, ensuring that we continue to meet the medical needs of both IDPS and the people of Bentiu town and its surroundings.”

Formerly known as Bentiu Protection of Civilians Site (POCS), the camp hosts the larges IDPs population in South Sudan with around 100,000 people displaced by the civil war and floods, living at various sites established by the United Nations.

MSF used to run a 116-bed hospital in Bentiu IDPs camp with an inpatient department, an emergency room for children and adults, as well as an operating theatre for surgery.

The surgical patients include people from other parts of South Sudan, referred by MSF teams from projects in Pieri and Lankien and transferred by plane amid occasional inter-communal violence in Jonglei State.

The hospital also provides maternal care, including for complicated deliveries, as well as care for survivors of sexual violence, mental health care, treatment for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malnutrition.

 

 

 

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