South Sudan: UN reports damage to health centres during Jonglei clashes
South Sudan: UN reports damage to health centres during Jonglei clashes
These orphaned children received food from WFP after a humanitarian mission arrived in the town of Pibor in South Sudan’s Jonglei state on 3 January 2012. Photo: WFP/Rehan Zahid
A number of health facilities in South Sudan’s troubled state of Jonglei were damaged and subsequently closed following inter-ethnic clashes in the area in recent weeks, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) reported today.
Some of the affected health facilities are situated in the towns of Pibor, Lekuangole and Gumruk, and were run by the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the WHO spokesperson in Geneva, Tarik Jasarevic, told reporters. Equipment and supplies were also vandalized, he added.
The national health staff working in the affected areas fled along with the rest of the population, while the international staff were evacuated, disrupting routine health services, including children’s immunization, antenatal and delivery services for women and access to medicines for those with chronic illnesses.
Some 208 patients were evacuated by air between Christmas Day and 11 January, and almost all of them were taken to the Teaching Hospital in the capital, Juba. Three were taken to the hospital in Malakal and one to Bor. Most of them had gunshot wounds, Mr. Jasarevic said.
South Sudan’s health ministry was forced to send more personnel and supplies to the hospitals that received the evacuated patients, while WHO provided medical and non-medical supplies to Juba Teaching Hospital in a bid to restore basic services, scale up surgical capacity and prevent outbreaks of communicable diseases.
MSF has already started reconstructing the health centre in Pibor town and plans to set up mobile health clinics in the other affected areas.
Deadly clashes between the Lou Nuer and Murle communities in Jonglei in recent weeks have displaced tens of thousands of people and prompted UN agencies and partner organizations to launch a major humanitarian operation to assist those affected.
Peacekeepers serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) have also been deployed to the area to support the efforts of Government forces to restore peace and security.
In a related development, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Mr. Raisedon Zenenga as Deputy Special Representative (Political) for UNMISS. The Zimbabwean national brings over 28 years of service in the UN, government and diplomatic positions, including more than 10 years at the management level in complex UN peacekeeping operations.
###
About World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.
In the 21st century, health is a shared responsibility, involving equitable access to essential care and collective defence against transnational threats.
WHO fulfils its objectives through its core functions:
- providing leadership on matters critical to health and engaging in partnerships where joint action is needed;
- shaping the research agenda and stimulating the generation, translation and dissemination of valuable knowledge;
- setting norms and standards and promoting and monitoring their implementation;
- articulating ethical and evidence-based policy options;
- providing technical support, catalysing change, and building sustainable institutional capacity
- monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends.
The WHO agenda
WHO operates in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing landscape. The boundaries of public health action have become blurred, extending into other sectors that influence health opportunities and outcomes. WHO responds to these challenges using a six-point agenda. The six points address two health objectives, two strategic needs, and two operational approaches. The overall performance of WHO will be measured by the impact of its work on women’s health and health in Africa.
1. Promoting development
During the past decade, health has achieved unprecedented prominence as a key driver of socioeconomic progress, and more resources than ever are being invested in health. Yet poverty continues to contribute to poor health, and poor health anchors large populations in poverty. Health development is directed by the ethical principle of equity: Access to life-saving or health-promoting interventions should not be denied for unfair reasons, including those with economic or social roots. Commitment to this principle ensures that WHO activities aimed at health development give priority to health outcomes in poor, disadvantaged or vulnerable groups. Attainment of the health-related Millennium Development Goals, preventing and treating chronic diseases and addressing the neglected tropical diseases are the cornerstones of the health and development agenda.
2. Fostering health security
Shared vulnerability to health security threats demands collective action. One of the greatest threats to international health security arises from outbreaks of emerging and epidemic-prone diseases. Such outbreaks are occurring in increasing numbers, fuelled by such factors as rapid urbanization, environmental mismanagement, the way food is produced and traded, and the way antibiotics are used and misused. The world’s ability to defend itself collectively against outbreaks has been strengthened since June 2007, when the revised International Health Regulations came into force.
3. Strengthening health systems
For health improvement to operate as a poverty-reduction strategy, health services must reach poor and underserved populations. Health systems in many parts of the world are unable to do so, making the strengthening of health systems a high priority for WHO. Areas being addressed include the provision of adequate numbers of appropriately trained staff, sufficient financing, suitable systems for collecting vital statistics, and access to appropriate technology including essential drugs.
4. Harnessing research, information and evidence
Evidence provides the foundation for setting priorities, defining strategies, and measuring results. WHO generates authoritative health information, in consultation with leading experts, to set norms and standards, articulate evidence-based policy options and monitor the evolving global heath situation.
5. Enhancing partnerships
WHO carries out its work with the support and collaboration of many partners, including UN agencies and other international organizations, donors, civil society and the private sector. WHO uses the strategic power of evidence to encourage partners implementing programmes within countries to align their activities with best technical guidelines and practices, as well as with the priorities established by countries.
6. Improving performance
WHO participates in ongoing reforms aimed at improving its efficiency and effectiveness, both at the international level and within countries. WHO aims to ensure that its strongest asset – its staff – works in an environment that is motivating and rewarding. WHO plans its budget and activities through results-based management, with clear expected results to measure performance at country, regional and international levels.
###
> United Nations (UN).
The United Nations was established on 24 October 1945 by 51 countries committed to preserving peace through international cooperation and collective security. Today, nearly every nation in the world belongs to the UN: membership totals 192 countries.
When States become Members of the United Nations, they agree to accept the obligations of the UN Charter, an international treaty that sets out basic principles of international relations. According to the Charter, the UN has four purposes:
- to maintain international peace and security;
- to develop friendly relations among nations;
- to cooperate in solving international problems and in promoting respect for human rights;
- and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations.
###
* The above story is adapted from materials provided by United Nations (UN)
** More information at United Nations (UN)
