South Sudan: RMF UNICEF Integrated MNCH and PMTCT in Ayod and Pibor Counties
3,015 Curative Consultations Provided: Q3 2017
January 09, 2018
Dr. Taban Martin Vitale
Summary of Activities
- Pibor PHCC (primary healthcare center) was maintained and continued to provide quality maternal, neonatal, and child health services.
- The EPI cold chain system in Pibor PHCC was maintained and continued to function throughout the quarter.
- RMF’s team facilitated and participated in a national immunization campaign targeting children under 5 years of age in Pibor County.
- Supported and relocated our senior health team from the facility residence to the compound of Plan International (an international NGO operating in Pibor) due to heavy flooding that affected the health facility and RMF staff residence in Pibor.
- Facilitated and participated in the joint rapid needs assessment of Likuangole, a county bordering Pibor which was affected by inter-tribal fighting.
- Procured and delivered an adequate amount of essential foodstuffs for RMF’s relocated staff (those recruited from Juba and deployed in Pibor), since basic commodities are not available in these areas.
- Facilitated the transportation of pharmaceuticals and consumables to Pibor PHCC through regular UNHAS flights.
- Facilitated in-country transportation of health staff from Pibor to Juba and back through regular UNHAS flights.
- Continued facilitation of our health team’s participation in all coordination activities/meetings at national and state levels.
- Provided an adequate communications allowance, which enhanced good coordination between Juba and the field site.
Full Report
Results &
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Serving Pibor
Quality Healthcare
- 6 community outreach sessions conducted in Pibor during the reporting quarter.
- A total of 3,015 curative consultations were provided (1,946 patients under five and 1,069 above five years of age).
- More children were reached during the national immunization campaign, which targeted polio and measles.
EPI Services
Immunization and Awareness
The EPI cold chain system, established by RMF in Pibor PHCC, continued to function and provide safe storage of vaccines to promote effective immunization services for children under five and women of childbearing age.
RMF Staff Wellbeing
Providing Time Off
RMF’s Pibor health team continued to travel for their break in Juba through UNHAS flights, which minimizes issues related to burnout that most professionals face in those hard to reach areas.
Mentoring
Ensuring Quality of Care
RMF’s trained healthcare workers continued to be mentored throughout the quarter and to provide quality healthcare services based on South Sudan’s Ministry of Health (MOH) policies and international best practices.
Additional Healthcare
Meeting the Community’s Needs
Although the project mainly targets MNCH, general healthcare indicators in Pibor are worsening. Hence, RMF is trying to provide comprehensive care in accordance with the South Sudan basic primary care package. Services now provided include the following:
- FANC/PNC/PMTCT
- Basic Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care
- EPI Services
- Basic Diagnostic Services (through use of rapid diagnostic kits for malaria, HIV, syphilis, HCG, urine test strips, and more)
- General Care (both outpatient and inpatient)
- Community Mobilization and Awareness
Restoring Access
Directly Improving Health
The restoration of healthcare services in Pibor has a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of the communities within the county and neighboring areas.
The communities in Pibor County now have access to quality MNCH (maternal, neonatal, and child health) and general healthcare services.
Background
& Objectives
Background
Real Medicine Foundation has been working in South Sudan since 2009, when we initiated and cofounded Juba College of Nursing and Midwifery (JCONAM), the first accredited college of its kind in South Sudan. Through our implementation and support of JCONAM, Juba Teaching Hospital, and a UNICEF (and WFP) malnutrition treatment and prevention program in Jonglei State, RMF has worked to preserve the health and dignity of South Sudanese, especially mothers and children, as the country struggles to rebuild after decades of civil war and the last conflict of mid-December 2013. In early July 2016, fighting broke out again in the capital city of Juba, and millions of South Sudanese became refugees or internally displaced persons, fleeing their homes in search of safety and food security.
In spite of the increasing violence, scarcity of food, and financial instability (as of August 2016, inflation reached 900%), RMF has maintained a strong presence in South Sudan, fighting as best we can to lower the maternal mortality rate (the highest in the world) and infant mortality rate. In September 2016, RMF began a new program, entering into a partnership agreement with UNICEF to rejuvenate the primary healthcare centers in Gorwai and Pibor in order to provide quality MNCH (maternal, neonatal, and child health) and PMTCT (prevention of mother to child transmission) services for the communities in need.
Objectives
- Rehabilitate the healthcare facilities in Pibor and Gorwai to provide quality healthcare services
- Provide essential medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, and consumables
- Provide quality, integrated MNCH and PMTCT services in accordance with national MOH (Ministry of Health) and international standards
- Build the capacity of the County Health Departments (CHD) and their staff involved in provision of healthcare services
More
Photos
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Numbers
Served
The MNCH and PMTCT program directly targets the estimated population of Pibor, 60,400, projected from the 2008 South Sudan Population and Housing Census.
More Reports on: RMF UNICEF Integrated MNCH and PMTCT in Ayod and Pibor Counties Archive
Country Page: South Sudan
Initiative Page: RMF UNICEF Integrated MNCH and PMTCT in Ayod and Pibor Counties
