By Yien Gattuor

At least ten health facilities in Rubkona County of Unity State have closed down since President Donald Trump Administration cut USAID funding.

The decision affected both international and national NGOs operating in South Sudan.

Rubkona County Health Director, Dor Gai Patai, said the ten health facilities were all closed this month as they could not render any service to the population due to lack of resources.

“All ten health facilities were closed down after the donors came to us to tell us that the ten health facilities would not be operated due to funding issues from worldwide,” he explained.

Gai added that cases of malaria have risen in the area. The facilities affected in Rubkona County included

Nhialdiew PHCC, Panhiany PHCU, and Norlamwel PHCU.

A resident of Nhialdiu, David Wal, said closure of the facilities is affecting residents.

He said the majority of them are not able to travel up to Rubkona town for treatment.

“The patients normally travel to Rubkona on foot, and it takes 7 hours from Nhiadiu to Rubkona, and there is floodwater currently.”

“We need a health facility in Nhialdi to provide us with services,” he added.

In May, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that global health is at serious risk as donor support dries up and severe budget cuts loom.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the agency is facing “the greatest disruption to global health financing in memory” as contributions fall sharply across the board.

The crisis deepened after the United States, formerly the organisation’s biggest funder, pulled out in January, saying the health agency had mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises.

The US had previously covered nearly a fifth of the WHO’s budget.