Blog 6 South Sudan: Healthcare Badly Needed

Rachel Harper

25 Feb 2011

2:27pm

South Sudan has one of the world’s worst rates of infant mortality and maternal death in childbirth. With an estimated 2 million deaths and years of underdevelopment, after 20 years of war, this country is praying for a second chance at life. “The situation is a consequence of the last several decades of fighting, and the development of the country has been minimal, “said Emmanuel Roussier head of the mission for Medecins San Frontieres in southern Sudan. Over 90 percent of south Sudan’s population lives on less than a dollar a day. Studies show that one in six women who get pregnant will die during pregnancy or childbirth. Only 10 percent of pregnant women have any trained medical attention at birth. One in every six children born will die before their first birthday. South Sudan’s health risks don’t end there. Not only does half the population not have access to clean drinking water but only 13 percent of the children are vaccinated, which leaves them with the lowest immunization coverage in the world. The healthcare that is provided in this country is provided by international aid agencies. In the village of Rajaf mothers give birth on the floor of their mud and straw huts, without any medical care, and are usually looked after by a female relative and ignored by their husbands, because their involvement in childbirth is taboo. By record there are only 100 trained midwives in the whole southern Sudan, a country the size of Texas.

Southern Sudan is one of the least developed regions in the world. This country is suffering from absolute poverty, whereas they are unable to eat, clothe, shelter, and seek medical attention. Only a privileged few have access to clean water, sanitation, health care and schools. The people in this underdeveloped country are by no means able to withstand these conditions or sustain life. There is a lack of manpower to run maternal health programs. If pregnant women are not prioritized, and an increase in skilled healthcare workers at birth then over a period of time we will see a drastic decrease in this countries’ population. Southern Sudan is on the rise to becoming a new nation but if the challenges that need heavy attention are not solved there will not be a nation to save.

Http://globalpost.com/dispatch/africa/110209/south-sudan-health-care