Citizens blame doctors for “unnecessary deaths” at Juba Teaching Hospital
Patients recount harrowing experiences at the heart of the country’s largest public facility, revealing loss of lives and suffering due to negligence, at a place that should provide homage and comfort
By Chuol Chanyong
Several patients at Juba Teaching Hospital have complained about unnecessary deaths at Juba Teaching Hospital and attributed them to doctors’ negligence.
The outpatients who spoke to The City Review expressed disappointment and criticized the hospital’s management for failing to deliver adequate medical and healthcare services to low-income citizens who cannot afford similar services in private facilities.
This is not the first time such complaints have been raised.
Inside the emergency room, a patient who said he was referred from Northern Bahr el Ghazal State said he had been sitting alone without an attendant for about three hours.
He was unable to speak as he was coughing severely at the time.
Highlighting the suffering of patients, a man named Gabriel Taban claimed he lost his child due to alleged negligence, describing Juba Teaching Hospital as “hell” and calling for government intervention to salvage the situation.
He said, “Juba Teaching Hospital was once a trusted government facility where every resident of Juba preferred to seek medical care. But recently, the hospital has turned into hell for patients.”
“From the services provided to citizens to patient care, everything now depends on financial capacity.”
He continued, “I once lost a child, my wife lost a baby at Juba Teaching Hospital simply because she was not attended to.”
According to Taban, the doctors could not attend to them because they had no money to pay for the services.
“The midwives attending to women during childbirth demand money. Doctors who examine patients require personal connections. My wife suffered in labour for three days in the hospital without a proper examination to determine the baby’s condition or a decision on whether she needed a cesarean section or natural delivery.”
“At the end, we lost the baby because, after three days of suffering, my wife was exhausted and could no longer push. The baby also struggled to come out, but there was no chance. No doctor came to examine her for a cesarean decision until after we lost the child.”
Meanwhile, Michael Butrus, a caretaker of a diabetic patient who had been in the hospital for about 12 days, said he witnessed two deaths, possibly due to inadequate healthcare despite the competence of the medical staff.
“From the outside, the hospital looks beautiful, leading one to believe it provides excellent medical services, especially for those who have never visited Juba Teaching Hospital before.”
“But the deceptive exterior does not reflect reality; the health services provided do not match its outward appearance. In truth, this hospital has some of the best medical personnel,” Butrus explained.
“Over the past two weeks, I have noticed their competence, but something is preventing them from providing good care. Perhaps, related to lack of support.”
He said the country’s main hospital lacks the most basic services a patient should receive upon admission.
“The health services that should be free of charges regardless of the patient’s financial situation.”
A civil society activist and Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, Edmund Yakani, expressed his disappointment with the state of Juba Teaching Hospital and called on the Minister of Health and relevant authorities to allocate timely and sufficient financial resources to the hospital so it can fulfill its duties in providing adequate medical and health services to low-income South Sudanese.
“I respectfully take this opportunity to raise my voice loudly to the Minister of Health, the Managers of Juba Teaching Hospital, and our political leaders who have the authority to allocate financial resources on time and review the hospital’s situation in delivering medical and health services to low-income South Sudanese citizens who cannot afford similar services in private facilities, whether inside or outside the country.”
He acknowledged the presence of professional staff capable of providing essential services but who are hindered by insufficient funding.
“We have dedicated professional South Sudanese doctors working at Juba Teaching Hospital in various specialties, ready to provide adequate services to citizens. Unfortunately, they are helpless due to the lack of sufficient funding for the hospital.”
Yakani continued, “I have observed cases where negotiating for medication at Juba Teaching Hospital is required either on a commercial, relational, or even ethnic basis. This means that if you are a sick South Sudanese citizen in the hospital with no connections to any staff, do not know anyone there, or cannot bribe any medical personnel to sell you medicine or provide services, you may not receive the life-saving care you need.”
The activist appealed to His Excellency the President Salva Kiir, his deputies and the minister of health to conduct an inspection visit to Juba Teaching Hospital and listen to patients’ complaints.
