Health care returns

Stories from the hospital in Raja, South Sudan

By ALIMA

July 4^th, 2018

In South Sudan, ALIMA and its local NGO partner, AFOD (Action for Development), have been providing free health care in the hospital in the northwestern city of Raja since May 2017. Our teams have been reaching local populations outside of Raja city with mobile health clinics since July 2017.

Despite the relative stability in Raja, the health care needs remain enormous. Today, 80% of health facilities are managed by NGOs. Over 5 million people are in need of health assistance throughout the country, according to OCHA. The national rates for acute malnutrition are well above the 15% emergency threshold set by the World Health Organization - as high as 23% in some areas.

Eymeric Laurent-Gascoin recently returned from South Sudan, where he worked as Emergency Coordinator for ALIMA. An avid photographer, Eymeric documented ALIMA’s program in Raja, and stories of the patients he met.

Every day, before the medical team begins their rounds in the pediatric ward, they meet with the night shift, to conduct a handover of the night’s patients. “We are seeing a lot of cases of malaria, diarrhea and respiratory infections,” Eymeric said.

Margarita Johnson

7-month-old Margarita and her mother Asunta Romano in Mangayat, 35 km from Raja, after having been discharged and brought back home.

“Margarita started to have diarrhea and was constantly drowsy," Asunta said. "I was worried so I traveled the 35 km to take her to the hospital in Raja."

“At the hospital, my baby was diagnosed with severe anemia and was given a blood transfusion. She soon recovered and we were brought home.

Since the beginning of the war in 2013, life has not been easy, we are facing many problems like regular food shortages and difficulty getting health care.

We are waiting for peace to be able to farming, studying, moving around - to start living again!”

Malia and Rita

In 2003, Malia, 33, began taking medicine for epileptic seizures. After fleeing Raja to the bush with her family when the city was attacked in 2016, Malia and her family were able to return to Raja in 2017.

“Since the beginning of the conflict, it became difficult to find the medicine I need. Most of the time it is not available and when it is, I do not always have enough money to afford it.”

In January 2018, while preparing food, with her 1-month-old daughter Rita in one arm, she had a seizure. The pot of boiling water was knocked over, burning Rita. Malia fell into the fire, burning her legs, and was eventually saved by her neighbors who rushed to help.

Malia and Rita were rushed to the hospital, where they both received emergency care. Rita has fully recovered. Malia’s wounds have been dressed and she is waiting to travel to Aweil for skin graft surgery.

Sunday David

Sunday, three and a half years old, was suffering from a persistent cough and poor appetite when her mother brought her in for consultation.

She tested positive for malaria and was given medication and kept in observation. When she vomited the treatment, she was hospitalized in the pediatric ward, where she soon recovered.

Christo Sebit

Madeleine Francis brought her three children to ALIMA’s mobile clinic in Mangayat, 35km from Raja, where they tested positive for malaria and were given treatment. Her son Christo was unable to keep the medicine down so he was hospitalized in Raja’s Pediatric Ward.

In the waiting area, Christo’s mother Madeleine learned to use the MUAC (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference) bracelet to screen for malnutrition on her daughter Rose Sebit.

Training

The MUAC bracelet is a valuable tool for detecting malnutrition in small children. ALIMA Nutrition Assistant Simon Vito performs a MUAC training in the waiting area of ALIMA’s mobile clinic in Mangayat, 35 km from Raja. Since 2011, ALIMA has trained over 500,000 mothers and caregivers in sub-Saharan Africa to use the MUAC to screen their children for malnutrition.

MALNUTRITION

Nutrition Assistant Peter Bernardo prepares therapeutic milk for Mariam Yusuf’s daughter Elizabeth, who is hospitalized with severe acute malnutrition with complications.

PETER BERNARDO

“Today, while I was working in the hospital, I saw my wife bringing my child who was vomiting with a fever. He was immediately admitted in the pediatric ward. With the help of the team, we are going to take care of him.”