File: An aid worker attends to a sick baby in South Sudan. Credit | MSF

The medical charity – Médecins Sans Frontières – has said it is concerned by the deteriorating hygiene-related health conditions of villagers in Riang, Jonglei state.

In a statement, the doctors without borders said it carried out an assessment and found out the locals have been struggling to access clean water, safe water storage, latrines and basic healthcare.

“We also saw people suffering from untreated illnesses, including a large number of women with suspected urinary tract infections, which reflects the lack of drinking water,” it revealed.

MSF stated that Riang residents often walk long distances in search of healthcare and clean water.

According to MSF, some of them had to walk for more than an hour to access the nearest free-of-charge healthcare.

The health organization revealed that the water levels have remained so high that only those able to swim can cross the swamps to see a doctor.

It stressed that patients in need of specialized treatment are often ferried by their relatives in baskets or on plastic sheets to the MSF facility in Lankien – a trip that takes them several days and nights to reach the facility.

In response to the appalling conditions, MSF said it has provided medical consultations to roughly 707 ailing people in Riang.

MSF emergency coordinator, Roberto Wright, said a worrying 60 per cent of the children under the age of five, who were treated in their mobile clinic last week tested positive for malaria.

MSF is appealing to international donors to ensure funding continues for other health organisations working in Jonglei state.

This, it says, will enable them to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the suffering population.