Doctors at Jonglei state hospital said health facility has ran out of lifesaving drugs due to the large influx of patients to Bor main hospital.
The medical Director at Bor State Hospital Bol Chau said cases of Malaria, Typhoid, pneumonia and Dysentery are on the rise due to the result of the flooding in the state.
Doctor Chau said that the hospital receive about 300 to 400 patients on daily basis.
Doctor Chau said that, doctors only carry out diagnoses and send them to away to buy medicines from private clinics. He has said that the hospital facility has run out of lifesaving medicines.
“We are having a lot of issues concerning the drugs so we ran out of stock of medications especially for malaria and other essential drugs. And this is due to the fact that there is a large number patients from Bor town here and surrounding areas.” Bol Chau has said.
“This has late actually to increased number of admission especially the children and which on daily basis even if you give them drugs but there is still influx of patients so this led to the depletion of stock within a short time.” Chau added.
Thought there is shortage of drugs at the facility, doctor Chau advises patients to still go to hospital for consultations and prescriptions.
“If You just feel unwell you just come to the hospital. We will come and diagnose your conditions and then we will prescribe for you,” he said.
He said most clinics are commercialized, “even if you have no problem and you go to clinic they will diagnose you with so many conditions that you have this, that and that. And they will prescribe for you so many drugs but here we don’t do it. What you complain of is what we investigate, the disease that you have is what we will treat. We don’t look for that is not there. So if it’s not broken you don’t fix it.”
Dr. Chau said Bor hospital gets its medical supply from National Ministry of Health in Juba but he said that there has been no supply for 6 months.
17 year old Akeer Ghai, who suffered from malaria and typhoid have been admitted in Bor Hospital. Speaking in Dinka Ghai said the doctors told her to buy drugs from private clinic.
“I am diagnosed with Malaria and typhoid but I have not gotten any drugs here in the hospital. All the drugs for my treatment are being bought from a private clinic and then I am being injected here in the hospital by the doctor,” Akeer Ghai said.
She said even if no drugs in the hospital, she still trusted the doctors at the hospital.
In a phone interview the National Health minister Doctor Riek Gai said his ministry is facing challenges of transporting medical supplies to the flood affected areas across the country. “Some areas in Jonglei like Duk and Panyagoor because of this flooding are difficult to access but the supplies are there.” Gai Said.
Gai said his ministry is working with UNICEF to send dugs supplies to Bor and other flood affected areas. Last month, President Salva Kiir declared a state of emergency in most of the areas affected by floods.