COVID-19 infections to spike in Jonglei due to absence of health staff

By Simon Deng

The COVID-19 isolation centre in Bor state hospital in South Sudan’s Jonglei has closed down over financial constraints following the exit of Medicos Del Mondus (MDM) that had been operating it.

 Simon Nyok, the lead member for the COVID-19 rapid response team in the state, said they can no longer continue to work after MDM pulled out, since the latter was paying incentives for the staff at the isolation center.

“There used to be a team who took care of critical cases, but since MDM left there is no support for the team working there,” Nyok told The Juba Echo on Thursday in Bor.

 He expressed fears of uptick in COVID-19 infections in the aftermath of the closure of the isolation center.

 “We have received enough supplies for COVID-19, now the challenge is that the working team is not active, the issue of incentives for staff at the COVID-19 isolation center is also another issue,” he said.

Nyok revealed that Bor hospital has so far confirmed 164 COVID-19 cases cumulative cases and two deaths since outbreak in April last year.

Bol Chaw Manyang, Medical Director for Bor state hospital said that the COVID-19 isolation center was manned by 33 staff.

Adding, that the only health staff dealing with testing for COVID-19 is working on voluntary basis.

“We are appealing to the government to support the isolation center, the tents are damaged when it rains the water leaks in, and that is why the mattresses have to be stored somewhere else,” said Manyang.