By William Madouk
At least three or five households from Ayod and old Fangak of Jonglei state are reportedly crossing to Unity State to access treatment at SPOC medical facility in Tharjiath.
According to the Sudd Petroleum Operation Company (SPOC) media focal point, Mr. Lonya Banak, families spend two days in canoe to Nyaruob port to seek treatment at Medical Response for Diplomatic Corps (MRDC) center.
“We have two scenarios, firstly, the influx of IDPs from Jonglei County of Old Fangak and Ayod to unity’s Koch County every day,” said Banak who is also the Community Development Executive in Tharjiath.
“We received 3-5 household and two out of these attend treatment at our facility at Tharjiath,” he added.
He noted that a family of Ms. Nyaliah Thiech [pictured], who hail from Fangak County row by canoe for two days to access an out source for SPOC – MRDC.
No.1 Citizen Newspaper could not however independently verify why resident in both counties spent days to seek medical treatment in Unity state but it could be due to floods and lack of modern medical facility there.
Ayod and Fangak were among the two counties that were submerged by floods caused by torrential rains, and displaced more than 4,000 thousand people.
Mr. Banak also rued about the threat of an exploded ordinance that put lives of peoples’ living in Koch County in danger.
“Recent conflicts of 2013 to 2016 in the aftermath of flood water subsiding, the ordinance are seen in the area. In this month alone two incidences happened, earlier an exploded ordinance injured a 10 years old child along Koch junction,” Banak explained.
According to him, in just a week time another detonated ordinance was found along roadside by junction to Leer – Manyiandit road but now secured and awaiting UNMISS team to neutralize it.
“It’s now barricaded [an exploded ordinance] and we are in touch with Ghanian Battalion in Koch County to come and clear it as soon as possible.”
Banak stressed that the community in Unity State are in dire need for the operationalization of two local radios to be back on air – these includes Leer Miraya Relay and Naath FM to create more awareness.
For his part, the medical officer working for MRDC, Dr. Joshua Jokjiok said the facility received 5 to 10 patients at the company level and from 20 to 30 patients from the community per day.
“We run the facility 24 hours, whenever we got call from the community – we respond to the emergency of delivery service,” Dr. Jokjiok said.
“We also receive patients from neighboring Jonglei state, due to flood we are receiving patients from there and neighboring counties,” he added.
Dr. Jokjiok revealed that during the rainy season, children under 5 years of age report to the facility with pneumonia, diarrhea and other respiratory tract infections cases.
According to medical officer, adult cases are; diarrhea, Malaria, exhaustion and minor injuries related to work during same season.
“We have ambulance response and sometimes we have outreach – if we sent team to the outreach service, they will identify a patient that need further management and they will call us and then send ambulance,” he noted.
Jokjiok said, the facility has capacity of ICU, Inpatients with about 7 beds and modern laboratory that perform various laboratory investigation tests.
“We always receive our supply from headquarter in Juba through MRDC consignment – we request them on monthly basis,”