Bentiu hospital outstretched due to malaria outbreak

Unity State has decried an increase in malaria cases which it says is attributable to the persistent flood that has covered most parts of Bentiu Town.

State’s Health chief executive officer Dr Banen Non told journalists in Bentiu last week.

According to Dr Non, anti-malarial drugs have reduced in the hospitals since the state started registering an increase in the number of patients. He appealed for the national ministry of health to mobilise health partners to support them.

“Now malaria cases are increasing and yet the [anti-malaria] medicines are getting finished although we received some of the consignments,’’ he said adding they normally receive around 150 patients per day but this has now changed.

“We are [now] receiving 250 to 350 malaria cases per day.  We have the confirmed cases from the lab [and they have] clinical symptoms and signs of malaria,” Non explained.

In the OPD consultation, the out-patient department receives more than 600 patients per day according to Dr Non.

This has also outstretched the hours the medics have to work, with most of them going beyond normal hours.

Dr Non says the normal number for six doctors should have been 300 maximum and the minimum should have been 200 patients per day.

“The workload has been doubled but the doctors and the midwives have been working throughout the past three months since the floods started and we are ready to provide quality medical services to the people in the community,” he said.

With most of the counties such as Mayendit, Leer, Kon, Kuch, Mayom, Panyjier and Gwuit being flooded, Non says they are trying to work so hard to reach those areas with their ambulance that works 24 hours, although not all of them are inaccessible.