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Nimule Hospital faces critical medical supply shortage amid surge in accident cases

Author: Sebit Patrick | Published: September 10, 2024

A heath facility that was built by UNOPS and IOM in Nimule, Eastern Equatoria State. (UNOPS).

The Medical Director of Nimule Hospital in Eastern Equatoria has reported a critical shortage of medical supplies, citing a daily surge in accident cases that has overwhelmed the facility.

Dr. Nyuma David Sylvester, the Medical Director of Nimule Hospital, highlighted the facility’s strategic location, which has led to a high influx of emergency cases.

He attributed this surge to frequent accidents on the Juba-Nimule-Elegu Highway, including those involving motorcycles (bodabodas) and incidents related to gang violence.

Dr. Nyuma emphasized that these accidents result in both severe and minor injuries, with many cases requiring significant medical supplies, particularly normal saline, to stabilize patients.

“We receive road traffic accident cases every day here, the boda-boda accidents, as a matter of accidents along this road which they usually bring to the hospital and we manage them here,” Dr Nyuma said.

“We consume a lot of these specifically normal saline because most of these cases have bleeding and X-ray services, we have to refer them,” he said.

“Most of these cases, you know, bodaboda riders, once they have an accident, it’s their body that receives that trauma directly. So we expect most of the time to have fractures of the limbs.”

Dr. Nyuma reported that the hospital’s medical supplies are often depleted within a month, leaving them insufficient during critical emergencies.

He noted that the transition from the Health Pooled Fund to UNICEF has led to delays in the delivery of necessary supplies.

To address these challenges, Dr. Nyuma urged for the establishment of a radiological department within the hospital to better manage emergency-related conditions.

“We also feel that it’s important to have that service of radiological department or unit that has to be established here,” Dr Nyuma said.

“Looking at the location of this hospital at the border and along this main road, this is the most active road in South Sudan and it’s a lifeline road,” he said.

“There is so much traffic and accidents daily. So we need support and we need more supplies that are geared towards stabilizing conditions like this.

“The supply that we receive is for county hospitals, which do not help a lot, it runs out very fast. In maternity also, we receive mothers, who come not only from Magwi County, but we also receive patients or mothers from Juba,” he added.

“We get people who travel, they will be in labour, especially travellers from Juba to come and deliver here, just because it is free.”

Other challenges the doctor revealed included a lack of staff incentives to motivate the workers.

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