Drug crisis hit Upper Nile regions
The Ministry of Health in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area has decried the shortage of essential drugs that it says roils discharging of medical services in the Upper Nile region.
There is fear that the health facilities could now be forced to stop operations due to the shortage.
Athon John, the minister of health and environment in GPAA, said the health facilities used to get supplies from UNICEF every quarter. However, for three months, this aid has not been forthcoming. The ministry of health is yet to receive another consignment.
“We cannot be able to run the facilities and we have raised the issue so many times at the national level, but the government does not have enough resources to make the budget.
“The World Bank Program was supposed to be implemented by the national government but it was given to UNICEF as the implementing agent to supply the facilities with medication. We can’t do anything as the government,’’ said Athon.
“We need to have a consultation, especially in the Greater Upper Nile, so that we can [notify] the National Ministry of Health so they [that] can know and [that] our Ministry of Health should do a consultative meeting to understand the challenges facing the health facilities in the state, [This is] to choose who can be right partners to provide required to the health facilities,” he added.
John further revealed that other health partners are sustaining the health facilities in Pibor but the population is higher than their capacity.
However, Ding Stephens, a medical doctor at Duk Public Health Care Centre in Jonglei State, said that there is a shortage of medicine which is hitting every PHCC and hospitals and UNICEF are supplying only injectables and not the tablets.
