Geneva, Switzerland — One year after South Sudan declared independence, many humanitarian needs remain unmet. Communities lack access to basic health-care services. The situation is particularly difficult in northern regions close to the border with Sudan. Recent fighting in this area has had a direct impact on the availability and price of food, contributing to an increase in child deaths from malnutrition.

“In Malakal Teaching Hospital, there has been a dramatic rise in child malnutrition admissions over the past three months, since fighting escalated,” said Melker Mabeck, the head of the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in South Sudan. “Children are also arriving in a much worse condition.”

People in South Sudan have very poor access to health care. There is a shortage of facilities and skilled health workers and a limited supply of drugs and equipment. According to the Ministry of Health, South Sudan has about 120 medical doctors and just over 100 registered nurses for an estimated population of nearly nine million people.

This falls far below the doctor-patient ratio in neighbouring Kenya, for instance, where there are 14 doctors per 100,000 people, 10 times the ratio of South Sudan, according to World Health Organization statistics from 2006. Vulnerable groups like women, children, and the wounded are particularly at risk. South Sudan has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world.

In addition, the country is prone to diseases, with meningitis, measles, yellow fever, and whooping cough endemic in many areas. Preventable diseases such as malaria and acute respiratory infections are the leading causes of ill health. River blindness, sleeping sickness, and cholera are also common.

Another issue is the estimated 50,000 people in the country with physical disabilities, which are often due to injuries sustained in connection with the armed conflict. Landmines, already common in the pre-independence armed conflict between the north and the south, are still used today.

Together with the South Sudanese government, the ICRC manages a physical rehabilitation centre in Juba, the only one of its kind in the country. “A significant proportion of amputees are victims of landmines or unexploded ordnance left behind after clashes,” said Gerd Van de Velde, an ICRC project manager at the centre. “The rehabilitation work we do here gives these people a chance to rebuild a productive life.”

The ICRC also provides support for health-care facilities, such as Malakal Teaching Hospital. As the only referral hospital for Unity, Jonglei and Upper Nile states, the hospital has a vast catchment area of approximately three million inhabitants. Landmines are an issue in the area, much of which is almost entirely cut off during the rainy season that has just started. An ICRC medical team based in the hospital provides paediatric and physiotherapy along with trauma and emergency surgical care. It also delivers on-the-job training for hospital staff.

The ICRC’s operations in southern Sudan began in 1986. The organization set up a delegation in South Sudan’s biggest city, Juba, when the country became independent on 9 July 2011. The ICRC also has two sub-delegations in the new country, in Malakal and Wau. In South Sudan, the ICRC works to prevent violations of international humanitarian law and helps conflict-affected communities to survive and become self-sufficient.

A three-part series showing the struggle for health care in South Sudan released on Eurovision News Feeds and on www.icrcvideonewsroom.org:

South Sudan: facts and figures

Between July 2011 and June 2012:

● the ICRC surgical team in Malakal Teaching Hospital performed emergency surgery on more than 750 patients. Over half of the patients suffered from weapon-related injuries;

● 450 people wounded during clashes were treated using medical supplies and drugs donated by the ICRC to 10 hospitals and several first-aid posts;

● over 2,000 physically disabled people received treatment through ICRC-supported physical rehabilitation services. More than 400 artificial limbs were fitted for amputees, while hundreds of orthotic devices, wheelchairs, and crutches and sticks were also delivered. Just over 1,000 patients also benefited from physical therapy services. Approximately 30 per cent of the amputees to whom the ICRC has delivered artificial limbs since 2008 were victims of landmine accidents.

Image Courtesy of   United Nations Photo

The article South Sudan Struggles to Meet Health Care Needs appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The talks between Sudan and South Sudan, facilitated by the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP), preparatory to an extraordinary meeting of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM) concluded on Wednesday, April 4 in Addis Ababa, with significant progress towards agreement on all items on the agenda.

After several days of bilateral intensive discussion, the Parties  invited the AUHIP to prepare a document for their consideration. Wednesday morning, the Panel presented this document to the Parties, in the form of a draft Joint Decision for Reduction of Tension between the Republic of the Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan.

The talks were conducted against a background of escalating armed conflict along the countries’ common border and in Southern Kordofan State. The Panel is deeply concerned about this fighting, and its humanitarian and political implications.

In developing its draft, the Panel consulted closely with its partners, including IGAD and its Chairman, the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway and the European Union. Building upon the Memorandum of Understanding on Non-Aggression and Cooperation, signed by the parties on 10 February, and on UN Security Council Resolution 2024 of December 2012, and in the light of the Parties’ declared intention to proceed in a “new spirit” of partnership, the Panel’s proposal included the following six agenda items:

1. 1. Immediate implementation of all previous JPSM agreements and decisions;

2. 2. An end to negative media propaganda by both sides;

3. 3. Immediate cessation of hostilities between the two states;

4. 4. The withdrawal of the armed forces of each state that may be in the territory of the other state;

5. 5. The establishment of verification mechanisms including the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mission, which is to be supported by the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA);

6. 6. Preparations for the planned Summit meeting.

The proposal strongly emphasized the immediate activation of implementation mechanisms, including verification and monitoring in the border areas.

The delegation of the Republic of South Sudan accepted the AUHIP’s draft proposed Joint Decision. The Panel commended the delegation for its timely decision.

The delegation of the Government of the Republic of Sudan responded positively and will undertake further consultations in Khartoum before finalizing its position. The Panel acknowledged this position.

The Panel will immediately travel to Juba and Khartoum to meet the two Presidents and discuss with them the forthcoming Summit.

The AUHIP commends the co-chairs of the JPSM on their determination to continue negotiations at this time of heightened tension, in a positive new spirit of partnership, with a commitment to meet and finalize the document in the coming days.

Image Courtesy of    http://www.flickr.com/photos/un_photo/

The article Talks for Reduction of Tension Between Sudan and South Sudan appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.