After months of disruption, Akobo County Hospital will reopen soon, according to the MoH.
On Wednesday,
residents of Akobo County in Jonglei State staged protests, demanding urgent
action to restore essential healthcare services in the area.
In 2023, the
health sector initiated the transition from the COVID-19 Emergency Response and
Health System Preparedness Project (CERSHPP) to the Health Sector
Transformation Project (HSTP).
As part of
this transition, all non-governmental organizations (NGOs), interested in
delivering a basic package of health and nutrition services, applied through
the United Nations (UN) portal.
This process
overseen by the management organization, the United Nations Children Fund
(UNICEF), saw Save the Children emerge as the implementing partner for Lot 7,
where Akobo County Hospital falls under.
On traveling
to the facility to commence the delivery of health services, the Akobo
Community, County Commissioner, and County Health Department rejected Save the
Children, causing disruption in the provision of health services that has
lasted to date.
In a press
release seen by The Radio Community, the ministry said, “On noticing this gap,
MoH, together with state MoH and development partners including UNICEF and the
World Bank Group, onboarded Care International to take over the delivery of
health services in Lot 7, including the Akobo County Hospital.”
“On June 8,
2024, a month before the official start of the Health Sector Transformation
Project (HSTP), MoH yet again sent a team that included Care International to
Akobo County Hospital to assess the level of needs of the facility and to align
it with the provisions of HSTP.”
Care
International tried to assess the hospital but faced further rejection from
local authorities.
“MoH
continued to engage a broad array of stakeholders, such as community leadership
in Akobo, Members of Parliament, and airlifted stakeholders to Juba to help
fill the void in the provision of health services and ensure that Akobo County
Hospital resumes operations,” it stated.
The Ministry
and partners agreed on key steps, including paying incentives to over 200
health workers.
“Among the
other issues resolved is the payment of incentives to more than 200 health
workers. The Ministry is finalizing minor operational arrangements to restore
full operations to Akobo County Hospital, such as diesel costs to support power
generation,” it asserted.
“MoH has
scheduled a meeting with Care International, the World Bank Group and UNICEF
next week. Once these are in place, Care International will commence operations
in Akobo County Hospital.”
MoH reassured
commitment to ensuring that the people of Akobo and all South Sudanese to have
access to life-saving healthcare.