By Emmanuel Mandella

For seven long years, the people of Dingapaiv in Nzara County of Western Equatoria State never had a single health facility, and any trained health professional

“We buried too many loved ones for issues that could have been prevented. Our women died while delivering life, and our children died waiting for help,” said Chief Philip Martine, his voice heavy with emotion.

Since the closure of the Dingapai Primary Health Care Unit (PHCU) in 2017, the village became a symbol of the forgotten. People walked miles sometimes barefoot to access health service in Nzara Hospital.

Friday James John, a 32-year-old clinical officer now come to rescue of the community to provide health services to them at Dingapai PHCU.

“There were cases of malaria, skin diseases, typhoid, and chronic wounds. I saw children who couldn’t walk because their feet were rotting from infections. It was heartbreaking.”

He added that pregnant women with complications had no option but to deliver at home, often alone.

The local community extended thanks to the CHAMPS program supported by CMMB South Sudan, for reopening the long-shuttered health center.

“For the first time in years, families no longer have to choose between walking for hours or watching their loved ones suffer,” James said with a smile.

Since its reopening, the facility receives between 10 and 25 patients daily a sign of both hope and urgency.

Most of the cases involve reproductive health, child illnesses, and chronic infections left untreated for years.

Despite the progress, the battle is far from over according to the clinical officer, James.

“We are still short on medicine, staff, and equipment, we urgently need more support from government and health partners or we risk slipping back.”

He specifically called on Essential Health Interventions (EHI) and other health-focused organizations to bring outreach clinics, awareness campaigns, and medical supplies to Dingapai.

For the villagers, the return of healthcare means more than treatment it means justice.

“Restoring this facility is not just about drugs,” the area chief Martine said.

It’s about dignity. It’s about being seen. It’s about life.”

The story of Dingapai is one of suffering, survival, and now, a second chance. But as health workers brace for rising patient numbers, one thing is clear healing the wounds of the past will take more than medicine. It will take commitment.