MSF resumes critical medical activities in South Sudan's Yei County
It will also not resume outreach activities and will no longer operate in Morobo County, but will continue to engage with all parties to find safer and more efficient ways to support health facilities outside Yei town.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has initiated a phased resumption of activities in South Sudan's Yei County, Central Equatoria State, following an over three-month suspension.
In a statement, the medical humanitarian organisation said the resumption will, however, limit their physical presence in Yei Payam due to ongoing concerns over the volatile security situation along key roads, including Yei-Morobo, Yei-Lasu, and Yei-Maridi.
More To Read
- Exhibition brings to life the untold suffering of Africans crossing to Europe through Libya
- MSF denounces atrocities in El Fasher, urges immediate action to aid trapped civilians
- How doctors offering free healthcare services are bringing hope to mothers in Somalia’s Mudug region
- MSF raises alarm over worsening cholera epidemic in DRC, over 58,000 cases reported
- 15,000 in Gaza await urgent medical evacuation amid fragile ceasefire
- Doctors Without Borders sounds alarm as mentally ill detained in South Sudan prisons
It will also not resume outreach activities and will no longer operate in Morobo County, but will continue to engage with all parties to find safer and more efficient ways to support health facilities outside Yei town.
"As we begin this phased resumption of activities, we are changing how we work to keep our staff safe, but our commitment remains the same: to be here, providing neutral and impartial care for the communities in need. Providing much-needed care to mothers needing a safe delivery, children with malaria, and people fleeing violence has always been our motivation, and the decision to suspend our activities was a difficult but necessary step," said Dr Ferdinand Atte, MSF Country Coordinator for South Sudan.
On August 5, this year, the organisation suspended all activities in Yei and Morobo counties following a period of insecurity that led to the abduction of their staff member, days after a Ministry of Health staff member was abducted from one of the organisation's ambulances.
The organisation said it's currently holding discussions with relevant stakeholders to finalise practical modalities for a safe and quick resumption of activities and called on all parties to the conflict to ensure the safety of all medical and humanitarian workers.
Meanwhile, it resumes activities with a redesigned project prioritising emergency and maternal healthcare at Yei Civil Hospital and continued support for the Jansuk Clinic, the county's busiest facility.
It will also expand vital services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Yei, including through a community-based approach and support for the one-stop centre at Yei Hospital.
"This newly redesigned project will focus on strengthening emergency and maternal care in Yei Payam, focusing on primary and secondary healthcare by providing targeted support to Yei Civil Hospital, notably by upgrading the maternity department and operating theatre to ensure the provision of caesarean sections and other life-saving surgical interventions," the organisation said.
Central Equatoria state remains one of the areas in South Sudan facing intense violence. The growing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yei town, fleeing ongoing clashes, adds to those urgently in need of medical assistance. Access to healthcare services has been deteriorating, leaving the most vulnerable with nowhere to turn.
Top Stories Today
