Emergency medical aid needed now in Sudan

THREE years ago north and south Sudan signed a peace agreement ending decades of civil war.

However, the people of south Sudan continue to struggle for survival, dying from preventable and curable diseases and facing outbreaks on a regular basis.

Maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the world and poverty related diseases such as measles, malaria, tuberculosis and the potentially fatal parasitic disease, kala azar, remain major killers.

The health system requires almost total reconstruction and lacks the capacity to deal with major epidemics. The ministry of health and the few remaining humanitarian organisations are shouldering an impossible burden.

However, the international community has shifted its attention away from emergency assistance and towards long-term development initiatives. Yet this does not match the needs or the reality on the ground.

Médicins Sans Frontières’ teams continue to encounter serious outbreaks of disease and violence that must be met with immediate emergency responses.

Ross Duffy

Head of Médecins Sans

Frontières Ireland

71 Amiens Street

Dublin 1