Dr. John Isaac, Medical Director of Torit State Hospital speaking to Eye Radio in Torit on Wednesday 17th Nov 2021 | Credit: Charles Wote/Eye Radio

Authorities at Torit State Hospital in Eastern Equtoria State has said the facility is experiencing shortages of health workers.

The medical director of the public health facility says it offers services to about 200,000 people across the state.

On a daily bases, Dr. John Isaac says the hospital attends to approximately 400 patients a day.

However, there are only five lab technicians, 33 nurses and fewer midwives and clinical officers.

“The number of health workers in Torit hospital is supposed to be 88 and this is the one our partners are supporting with incentives and you can see it is not enough at least the number should be between 200 – 300,” Dr Isaac told Eye Radio in Torit.

“The area we are facing acute shortage in include the lab technicians. In the lab, we have only five lab technicians who are doing the work and we need to divide this into three shifts and you end up dividing them one per shift and the work load is too much.”

Torit State Hospital was established in 1948 as a primary healthcare unit and was upgraded around 1980s into a civil hospital.

After the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, the hospital was again upgraded into a state hospital.

It has the capacity of about150 beds with a total of 320 health workers.