By Bosco Bush
Yei Civil Hospital, the main referral medical facility serving the greater Yei has run out of essential medical equipment, drugs, and fuel, according to the hospital medical director, Dr. Morbe Taban.
In an exclusive interview with this outlet, Dr. Taban painted a bleak picture of the situation at the hospital, describing it as “not good” and unfavorable for effective operations.
He explained that the recent consignment of medical supplies received by the hospital was not intended for the main facility, but rather for the primary healthcare services.
“We received a consignment that’s not for the Hospital, it’s for Primary Health Care. But we reported to them that actually we need drugs. This is not for us because that consignment lack some of essential items like gauze, and you know here we are like a referral hospital,” Taban said.
The lack of critical supplies, such as gauze, surgical gloves, normal saline, and syringes, has severely hampered the hospital’s ability to manage the influx of patient referrals from surrounding areas, including Morobo, Lainya, and even the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Now we have an emergency, we don’t have gauze, we don’t have surgical gloves, we don’t have normal saline, and we don’t have syringe,” Taban lamented.
The hospital’s power situation is also a challenge, as the large generator it relies on consumes about 4 liters of fuel per hour, exceeding the monthly operational budget of only 1 million South Sudanese Pounds amid the skyrocketing fuel prices to over SSP 5,000 per liter in Yei.
Dr. Taban recounted a recent experience where the hospital had to perform about 10 operations in a single week, including several critical C-section procedures, which required the availability of essential medical equipment.
However, the lack of such supplies has made it increasingly difficult for the hospital to provide adequate care.
Dr. Taban is appealing to the state’s Ministry of Health, as well as donors and partners, to urgently intervene and support Yei Civil Hospital with the necessary medical equipment and resources to ensure the facility can continue to serve the healthcare needs of the county.