Nukta-manga PHCC in Wulu County. (Photo: Yang Ater/Eye Radio).

Mangia Julian Augustino had taken her sick child to a health facility at Nukta-manga village in Wulu County southwest of Lakes State on September 27, only to be told the infant would not find treatment because there were no medicines.

For the last two years, local communities say the hospital in the remote village of Domuloto Payam has been hit by a severe shortage of drugs, and patients have been served with prescriptions and told to buy medicines elsewhere.

“I thought that our hospital was working, but currently, there are no medicines,” she said.

“You take a child to the hospital, and they will tell you that there is no medicine. They write a prescription letter of medicines, and they ask you to go to the private clinic or pharmacy.”

Ms. Julian, like many low-income families in the village, could not afford the cost of treatment at private hospitals and has been relying on the free healthcare services offered at the Nukta-manga facility.

She appealed to the government and humanitarian agencies to support and equip the clinic with sufficient medical supplies.

“If I go to Wulu, which has a big hospital, where will I get money to transport the child from the village? This is why I want the government to see our suffering as a community of Nukta-manga so that we are supported with medicines so that our children can get treatment,” she said.

“We cannot afford to pay for subscriptions at private clinics because we don’t have money and are staying just at home. We only afford this hospital, closed for nearly three years without working.”

James Kalla Dor, Clinical Officer at Nukta-manga Primary Healthcare Center (PHCC), confirmed that they lack critical medical and drug supplies for malaria, as well as antibiotics, paracetamol, and amoxicillin.

Mr. Kalla said the facility has been dysfunctional since 2022, adding that even the most basic equipment like thermometers is not there.

“At least when I go to Wulu County, this is where I can bring anti-malaria to serve the community, and now this week, starting today, there is no medicine,” he said in an interview with Eye Radio.

He added: “When the patients come, I prescribe medicines, and there is no medicine that I can give to a patient.”

He said the clinic is the only primary healthcare facility based in Nukta-manga Payam, and there is no other one in the area.

Mr. Kalla said the hospital has no equipped and functioning maternity ward, and they have been referring expectant mothers and patients of waterborne diseases to Wulu town, 23 miles away.

“The community is suffering from diseases, and there is no treatment unless one goes to the private clinic. That’s when one gets to survive,” he said.

“I am still begging the county health department to serve the community with medication because some diseases are really on the rise, and this season now, there are a lot of cases of diarrhea and pneumonia in children.”

Access to healthcare service remains a challenge for many communities in South Sudan, according to a report by Health Pooled Fund, which adds that even reaching a health facility, does not guarantee access to appropriate care.

Since October 2012, the Health Pooled Fund (HPF) has been the main donor to healthcare centers across South Sudan providing access to basic health services to millions in partnership with the Ministry of Health (MoH), until it passed out operations this year.

South Sudan has some of the worst health indicators in the world, with the maternal mortality ratio estimated at 789 deaths per 100,000 live births, child mortality rate at 93 per 1,000 live births, and infant mortality rate at 60 per 1,000 live births.

On his part, Moses Bilal Kulang, a community leader and member of the Nukta-manga PHCC committee, revealed that the facility was established in 2,000 and stopped functioning in 2022.

“There is no working hospital in Nukta-manga. When a pregnant mother wants to deliver, she has to travel to Wulu County, and before reaching Wulu County Hospital, sometimes the child may die before delivery,” Kulang said.

“If you want to take her to Mvolo, it is about 32 miles and Wulu is 23 miles and we are in the bushes at the village and there is no medicine. We want the government to help with drug supply in our hospital.”

“I want the government of South Sudan to hear my voice to help us with medicines. Children are dying from ammonia and malaria, and pregnant mothers are losing their babies before they reach Mvolo or Wulu counties.”