By Yien Gattuor
Panyinjar County in Unity State of South Sudan grapples with drug shortage, said Peter Yoak, the county’s health director.
He told this outlet that patients are in a dire situation as health centres run short of drug supplies.
” United Nations Children Fund and the World Health Organization, that supported us told us that since the beginning of May they are supposed to deliver drug supplies to Panyinjar County,” Yoak said.
But the county director disclosed that until now, no drug has been delivered to the health department.
He added that as a result of drug scarcity, the staff of the Primary Health Care Unit is not working normally..
“We, the local authorities, raised concerns about a shortage of drug supplies in the entire Panyinjar that include Panyinjar headquarters, Gany and Nayak primary care centers.
“All our community is in need of drugs; they run out of drugs, and our community is really suffering,” he said.
Mr. Yoak urged the health partners supplying medical drugs to Panyinjar County to intervene.
Meanwhile, Unity State’s Ministry of Health director general, Dr. Duol Biem, confirmed there are some areas facing drug shortages but clarified that not all health facilities in the county are affected.
“Some of the facilities in Panyinjar County are lacking in drug supplies,” he noted.
“I was informed by the county health department (CHD) in Panyinjar County that there are some areas not having enough drugs at the moment,” Biem added.
Duol, however, presumes that the drug supplies may arrive in the area between this week and next week.
Mary Nyakoang Gatluak is one of the residents in Panyinjar County. She voiced the community’s cry for drug supplies.
“We are requesting UN agencies to come to support us now with drug supplies; we are going to die if the government is not putting our issues on the first agenda,” she decried.
She further stated that they don’t have the energy to trek up to Panyinjar town, which is said to have some medical supplies for patients.