Due to a lack of isolation space, cholera patients at Kapoeta Civil Hospital are forced to sleep under trees for treatment, with many dying through the night without care.
As of Sunday, 428 cases and 9 deaths have been reported
across Kapoeta Civil Hospital and Napetait Primary Health Care Centre.
Lopeto Nachipio, whose son is being treated for suspected
cholera, said the hospital lacks both space and proper infection control.
“Let the temporary shelters be put in place and health
workers should be many so that when there is an emergency case, they can attend,” Nachipio said.
“Let the government come in. people are sick and dying like animals, sleeping
under the trees. There is no room for them.”
She urgently calls on community leaders to intervene,
warning that more lives will be lost without immediate action.
Mary Nachapio, a mother who travelled from Lopola mining
site with her two children to the hospital, describes the situation as dire,
with many already succumbing to the virus.
“People are crying all-over because of the loss of their
dear ones. As you can see all the trees are occupied with the patients and if
anyone sees that their relatives have died, they just collect their belongs and
walk out of the hospital,” Nachipio narrated.
She said the worst-hit areas are the mining sites in Lopola
and Namorunyang, including Riwoto, Machi, and Kor.
“Let the leaders of this place know that people are dying a
lot. These ones (at the hospital) are few. Many at the mining sites are losing
their lives every time,” she pleaded.
Concerned about the situation at Kapoeta Civil Hospital,
Lokoriang Lomong, a resident of Kapoeta North County whose three-year-old child
is admitted, says the surge in cholera cases has overwhelmed the health workers
at the facility and calls for government intervention.
“The hospital is supposed to have people who attend to the
patients all the time be it at night or daytime and to ensure where the person
is supposed to be admitted as they wait to be discharged,” Lomong urged.
Oromo Alex Omwang, the County Health Disease Surveillance Officer in Kapoeta South, says the cases are increasing daily, overwhelming the two facilities, Kapoeta Civil Hospital and Napetait Primary Health Care Centre which are the only ones managing cholera cases and collecting data.
“As of Tuesday, the total cumulative cases stand at 428 for
both Kapoeta Civil Hospital and Napetait. The numbers for Monday haven’t been
added yet, but we will update you. The total cumulative deaths have now reached
9 for both Napetait and Kapoeta South, and we are using the data from these two
facilities.”
Reports from patients and eyewitnesses indicate that many
cholera-related deaths have not been reported to health authorities. The County
Health Department is urging the public to strictly observe preventive measures
to curb the spread of the disease.
Recently, the county conducted the Big Catch-Up initiative,
targeting children under five who missed or never received routine
immunizations in Kapoeta, South Sudan.
However, both county and state health authorities have yet to issue a formal intervention in response to the ongoing cholera outbreak in Kapoeta.