South Sudanese citizens say the rising COVID-19 death toll in the country could be a result of faulty Infectious Disease Unit (IDU) facility. The concern comes as public trust in the facility begins to fade after prominent figures died at IDU stage.

Since coronavirus hit the country in 2019, over 200 people have been admitted at the IDU facility. Majority, mostly army generals, never returned home alive. The phenomenon has drawn concerns from the general public on the efficiency of the facility and the people operating it.

Citizens who declined to be named questioned whether the facility really has qualified medical doctors handling the COVID-19 disease. Brandon (not his real name) expressed concerns whether the facility had enough equipment and expertise.

“I don’t believe that place is well[1]equipped to handle the situation. The IDU facility also calls for relevant expertise to operate, which I don’t think is the case at the Emergency Centre,” he said.

 He added, “for those machines to work well they need to be under some kind of regulated temperatures and I don’t think that’s being observed.” He continues that he has been hearing of people dying in the facility but this he attributed to two costly human errors.

 “The government could be having the wrong people using the right facility or the facility is just faulty,” he said.

Another citizen nicknamed Ayii explained that people complain and fear going to the facility because of rumours that stable patients admitted at the facility come out infected.

“For those who died from the IDU, their relatives don’t want to accept that their relatives died of COVID19, even after knowing the truth that they died of COVID-19 in the facility,” he said.

Relatives of the deceased also believe that they can take care of their relatives and when thing become difficult for them then that’s when they take their people to the IDU centers. Incident Manager at Infectious Disease Unit [IDU] Dr. Richard Lako told journalists during a weekend COVID-19 press briefing that fears were unwarranted. He said that the IDU started last year and so far they have admitted 220 people.

“The actual numbers of deaths reported are now around 29. And if you, 29 out of the more than 200, the percentage is around 13 so more than 80 per cent of the people who went there woke out clean,” he defended.

The delays

Dr. Lako said, “The issue is not the IDU, the IDU has qualified South Sudanese doctors, including international doctors that are working there and they work 24/27.” “The issue is the people themselves, people normally come to the facility at late stage where the Doctors cannot do anything,” he said.

Fears allayed

 Lako gave the example of prominent politician Joseph Ukel Obango who died last week. He said, “I can give you the example of Joseph Ukel who died before he was even entered into the facility and yes he died of COVID-19,” he said. However, a family member told one of the local news outlets here in Juba about his death but remained economical with the details of the cause.

Lako said on the matter: “I believe he was kept somewhere and he was brought here when he was already dead. “And this is what we have been telling the public, this place is safe you need to come early when you start seeing severe symptoms. You report so that people can go and get you in and most of the people have survived this way,” Lako explained.

He added that, “We have so many politicians that were here and they went out and we still have some inside and they are still surviving.’’ However, Lako said that they are doing their best but the public do not appreciate the efforts.

“When you are confirmed COVID-19 positive you deny. You hide yourself at home or go to the private facility they admit you and when things get worse then they dump you and push you that now you go to Dr. John Garang [Emergency Centre] because this is where you can only get oxygen.”

He went on to address reports that the facility did not provide food to the patients. Lako said all three meals were provided and that only those who had underlying conditions were on a special diet at their own costs.