Identification of early warning signs in pregnant women is essential. Maternal deaths here – at 2,000 fatalities per 100,000 births - are among the highest in the world
3 November 2011
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| Women and children waiting to be seen at the GOAL- supported health clinic in Bailet |
Among our many activities in this country, GOAL provides hundreds of thousands of people with access to primary healthcare. It’s an essential service, particularly for those who live in some of the most remote and vulnerable areas of the country, who would otherwise be denied this vital assistance.
Supporting the people in these isolated areas is not an easy task, but it becomes much more difficult in the rainy season, which is taking place at the moment. It’s something I saw for myself when I travelled from Juba - the capital of South Sudan - to Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile State in the north-east of the country, to monitor our local healthcare programme recently.
GOAL supports eight clinics in the region, providing free health services to approximately 130,000 people. However, because the roads close during the wet season, the clinics are only accessible via the nearby Sobat River. The nearest clinic at Baliet - our first destination - is a daunting four-hour journey by boat.
The people in the Sobat region are predominantly from the Dinka community, who are generally agro-pastoral. Cows are a very popular sight here; it seemed as if they outnumbered people in some of the larger villages as we sped by. They are a precious commodity here too. They are used as currency at weddings and often as payment to resolve conflict.
The clinic’s waiting area was busy with patients - mostly women and young children - when we arrived there the following morning. Many of the people were there to receive a vaccination or to be treated for common illnesses such as malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea. While they waited for their appointment, the GOAL team took the opportunity to dispense some general health information and advice.
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| Baliet primary healthcare clinic in Upper Nile State |
We visited a further seven GOAL-supported clinics along the river over the following three days. Aside from delivering essential healthcare services, GOAL also works closely with the government to build the capacity of local health workers and send clinic staff to complete further professional qualifications, such as nursing and midwifery.
Although successfully gaining admittance for staff members on long-term training courses is a challenge - many of them only have formal education to primary school level – the training is a specific focus of our programme in Upper Nile State.
One staff member, 37 year-old Simon Miyom Wuornos, was working in the Baliet clinic as a dispenser before GOAL helped him to take up studies for a Degree in Public Health in Upper Nile State University in Malakal. He explains why this training is important.
“I am enjoying the course, particularly the classes on health education and behavioural change, which I will be able to apply in the communities in Sobat, when I return.”
All in all, you couldn’t but be impressed by the commitment of the GOAL team, not only to provide essential health services in these remote communities, but also by their longer-term work to help build skill levels and leave a lasting legacy.
Truly meaningful work in a challenging environment.
- Aidan Goldsmith
Aidan Goldsmith is Country Director with GOAL South Sudan. To learn more about GOAL's work in South Sudan, click here.