South Sudanese families at an internal camp after fighting broke out in the country. Photo/AFP FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 17 – More than 800,000 internally displaced South Sudanese will now have access to better medical treatment following the donation of medicines by the Nairobi Hospital to the South Sudan Government.
Speaking when he received the medicines, South Sudan Ambassador to Kenya Majok Guandong said that they will help alleviate a medical crisis that was fast spreading across camps as people remained there even after the ceasefire announcement.
“Many people are yet to be convinced that the ceasefire will hold and their continued living on the camps has put immense pressure on our medical supplies,” he said.
He noted that the government of South Sudan has had a long relationship with The Nairobi Hospital being the main referral hospital for the South Sudanese.
The medicines, worth about Sh3.5 million will be used to treat several hundred thousand internally displaced persons taking shelter in makeshift camps and in United Nations compounds with little access to water, toilets or medical services.
Dr Cleopatra Mailu, the Nairobi Hospital Chief Executive Officer explained that the medicines were the result of its continual participation in humanitarian aid to deploy resources to address the consequences of internal clashes and medical crises such as in South Sudan.
Mailu added that The Nairobi Hospital actively participated in meeting the medical needs of Internally Displaced Persons when called upon to, including offering free medical camps across the country.
“We responded positively to a call by our medical colleagues by Prof John A. Adwok, Consultant General Surgeon in South Sudan to support the government with medical supplies,” he said.
Mailu said that the medicines covered those that will be used for treating medical ailments common to the camps such as allergy, skin infections, pain, malaria, gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, oral dehydration and respiratory tract infections.
He noted that the Nairobi Hospital would continue to support the medical needs in South Sudan resulting from the consequences of the crisis and as they settled down to peace.
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