The Medair, the sole supporter of health facilities in Gumuruk and Lekuangole Counties, is expected to end its support this month, leaving the region’s health sector vulnerable

By Chuol Chanyong

Authorities in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area have raised concerns about the healthcare stock shortage as Medair has declared withdrawal of support from the area.

The Medair, the sole supporter of health facilities in Gumuruk and Lekuangole Counties, is expected to end its support this month.

This leaves Pibor with no other options, although the organization had granted the two centers an additional three months’ supply before its complete withdrawal from the area.

In an exclusive interview with The City Review yesterday, Dr. John Baba Lothiko, Director General Ministry of Health and Environment in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, expressed his concern regarding the continuity of basic health services in Lekuangole and Gumuruk Counties.

“These services, supported by the humanitarian organization Med Air, have played a vital role in maintaining healthcare provision for local communities. Now, due to funding shortages, they face the threat of losing support for the two facilities,” Baba stated.

 “Our partners need to get to know that Gumuruk and Lekuangole health facilities are left by our partner. Med Air has been serving in the two counties, with two facilities among the Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs).”

Since last year, Med Air has faced problems related to donor fatigue. Consequently, it has been running these facilities through a private source of funding

The Director General said the organization informed them last month them of its inability to continue managing these facilities.

“We have also shared our concerns, and they are in the process of completing procedures for their full withdrawal from these facilities. They are scheduled to withdraw completely from the Greater Pibor Administrative Area by the end of this month,” Baba said.

“We have shared this information with the Director General for International Health and Coordination at the National Ministry of Health.”

According to him, these facilities can potentially be integrated into the Health Sector Transformation project of the national Ministry of Health to avoid the complete collapse of the healthcare system in those areas.

However, he said, despite sharing the concerns with other partners like UNICEF, the responses they received indicate that the problem of donor fatigue is real and present.

The Director General said the Pibor Civil Hospital will try to cover the essential needs of those centers.

“We will not allow these facilities to close completely. After the full withdrawal of Med Air, we will support the two facilities with supplies from Pibor Civil Hospital.”

He added, “And if no partner takes over their management, we will supply them from our stock, bearing in mind that the shipments and medical supplies usually reaching Pibor Civil Hospital are limited, but we will support these two facilities.”

The Gumuruk and Lekuangole facilities have been relying 100% on funding from Med Air, without any government funds, which means the facilities are facing imminent challenges.

The administration said this development poses a serious risk to the continuity of services in communities that are already vulnerable and heavily reliant on these facilities for maternal and child health services, treatment of common illnesses, and emergency care.

“If this issue is not addressed, the organization’s withdrawal could lead to severe public health consequences, including increased morbidity and mortality rates,” Baba stated in a letter of request.

“In light of this, I am raising this concern to all health sector partners for urgent consideration. We respectfully request partners to explore ways to support the Primary Health Care Centers in Lekuangole and Gumuruk, to ensure service continuity and prevent the complete collapse of the local health system in these counties.”