The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has handed over a 24-bed COVID-19 isolation unit to the Nimule Hospital in Eastern Equatoria under its Quick Impact Projects programme.
“We believe that this facility will encourage more returns, especially for those who were hesitant because of the lack of a facility to manage and control infectious diseases,” said Caroline Waudo, the Head of Office for UNMISS in Eastern Equatoria.
Nimule Hospital is a 174-bed county hospital which serves the border town of Nimule and caters to South Sudanese residents of the Adjumani refugee camp across the border in Uganda. With the advent of COVID-19, there has been mounting pressure on the hospital’s strained resources, although medical staff here have weathered additional workloads with remarkable resilience.
“Even when we had no funding, the hospital continued to allocate staff who were willing to respond to the COVID crisis,” said David Nyuma, the hospital’s administrator.
“Testing of truck drivers is a challenge as we’ve had to grapple with isolating them in makeshift structures and feeding them,” added Gama Emmanuel, a county health representative.
495 COVID-19 cases have been reported in Nimule town since August 2020. Often, the critically ill are referred to the Juba Teaching Hospital several kilometres away. Despite additional assistance from partners such as UNICEF, WHO, and Medair, the Nimule Hospital still needs more help.
“It is true that we have now expanded our testing capacity, for instance. But challenges such as lack of access to water and electricity persist,” revealed Mr. Emmanuel.
Additionally, the UN Peacekeeping mission and partners face the ongoing challenge of supporting similar construction projects without an established minimum standard for default construction practice requirements.
“We need the government to produce standard architectural drawings so that partners will not need to reinvent the wheel each time such structures are to be built,” urged Ms Waudo.
This new isolation facility replaces old and dilapidated temporary tents which previously served as an Ebola treatment centre and were repurposed for the management of COVID. It will play a key role in case management and investigation of Coronavirus and help control community transmission.
“As this building is now in our hands, it should be the priority of our state government to take collective responsibility to maintain it,” said David Otto, the County Commissioner for the area.
Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) are small-scale, low cost projects, funded by UNMISS, that are planned and implemented within a short timeframe. In the past year alone, UNMISS has completed a number of similar projects in Eastern Equatoria, including a primary healthcare unit in Labalwa, classroom blocks in Enyif and Ibalanyi, and a safe house in Kapoeta.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
© Press Release 2021
Disclaimer: The contents of this press release was provided from an external third party provider. This website is not responsible for, and does not control, such external content. This content is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis and has not been edited in any way. Neither this website nor our affiliates guarantee the accuracy of or endorse the views or opinions expressed in this press release.
The press release is provided for informational purposes only. The content does not provide tax, legal or investment advice or opinion regarding the suitability, value or profitability of any particular security, portfolio or investment strategy. Neither this website nor our affiliates shall be liable for any errors or inaccuracies in the content, or for any actions taken by you in reliance thereon. You expressly agree that your use of the information within this article is at your sole risk.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, this website, its parent company, its subsidiaries, its affiliates and the respective shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents, advertisers, content providers and licensors will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive or exemplary damages, including without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues, whether in negligence, tort, contract or any other theory of liability, even if the parties have been advised of the possibility or could have foreseen any such damages.
