These are listed under:
• General issues.
• Child health and Nutrition.
• HIV and other infections.
A three-day Training the Trainers Course (19th-21st November 2012) was organised in conjunction with the Ministry of Health (RoSS) and Dr Oromo, Consultant Pathologist in Juba and the Wessex Consortium as a starter towards the Basic Medical Training Programme. Tim Walsh led the team with Dr Rich Bregazzi, an Educationalist and Dr David Attwood, a Medical Registrar. There were 18 participants, who were Consultants in various specialties at Juba Teaching Hospital (see Figure 1).
In 2006 volunteers were required for a USAID sponsored project under the Academy of Educational Development (AED).The aim was to transfer skills that would contribute to the reconstruction of Southern Sudan. I was privileged to take an assignment from 6 September to 21 October 2006. In a private voluntary capacity I returned for a month in 2010 and 2012, again to transfer skills, and so help in the reconstruction of the health sector. I worked in Juba Teaching Hospital (JTH), the Juba Medical Complex and for local television and radio.
These are listed under:
• Maternal, neonatal and child health
• HIV/AIDS
• Non-communicable diseases
• Miscellaneous/New publications
Although this article draws on the UK experience of the author and may not be of immediate application to South Sudan, the principles of Research Nursing can be adapted to developing countries. In time some South Sudanese nurses may want to be involved in research.
Notices for SSMJ November 2012
a response to the article ‘Can primary health care staff be trained in basic life-saving surgery?'
Applications are invited for the time limited post of a Project Manager to head the development of the proposed College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPS) of South Sudan. Ideally the candidate will be a senior South Sudan clinician, but applicants from any part of the world who are actively practising clinicians at consultant or specialist level and who have a postgraduate qualification in any clinical discipline may apply.
The link between Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare Trust and Yei Civil Hospital began with a visit in November 2010 to see how staff could work together. We were greatly helped by John and Poppy Spens who had been living in Yei and helping to run the Martha primary care clinic. After planning and preparation the second visit took place in October 2011.
Various Announcements. Click inside to see.
South Sudan has recently acquired statehood. Planning and management of the health care system, based on evidence, requires a constant flow of information from health services. The Division of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of the Ministry of Health developed the framework for the health sector of the country in 2008. At that time data were collected through surveys and assessments.
The purpose of this article is to guide you through the publication process from start to finish. It will help you to think about where to publish, and provide guidance on writing and submitting your article, and the peer review process.
The purpose of this research is to identify and describe some serious cases of human rights violation taking place in Juba, South Sudan. These violations are specifically prostitution-related human trafficking and child labour. The study will expose the situation and advocate for action by all stakeholders concerned. Therefore, it is intended to serve as action research.
With immediate effect, all Medical and Dental Practitioners wishing to work in the South Sudan in a hospital, community setting, a clinic or private set-up are required to register with the South Sudan Medical and Dental Council.
Early in 2011, Martha PHCC, Yei (a PHCC with a mobile outreach) contacted Thare Machi, a charity that produces interactive health education DVDs for use in developing countries. The Yei team (Figure 1) translated and recorded six topics into Juba Arabic and sent them to UK where they were made into DVDs. These cover the following topics: You and your new baby, Safe water, Avoiding malaria, Bednets can save lives, Immunisation and Basic hygiene.
The Community Based Health Care Project in Mayendit County, Unity State, started with a pilot phase in 2008-2010 with a target population of 116,000 inhabitants. The overall objective was to improve access to quality basic health services for a rural population with a special focus on vulnerable groups. Included among the major activities was the establishment and training of Boma Health Committees (BHCs)
“Prevention is better than cure” Erasmus said back in the 1400’s. Agreed… but practically prevention and cure should go hand in hand together. Martha Mobile Health Unit (linked with Martha Clinic PHCC Yei) does both. The goal and hope is that not only professional and affordable health care is given, but that through preventative health education, communities learn to prevent sicknesses. Together with Rev. Obadiah Batali and, later on Knight Rose, health education in the communities was our priority
The SSMJ team are pleased to welcome Dr Edward Eremugo Luka as the new Editor-in-Chief of this journal.
The Republic of South Sudan Ministry of Health has appointed Dr Peter Newman, Consultant Neurologist, James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, England, to the post of Honorary Director of Postgraduate Medical Education for South Sudan.
I am writing from the newly born country of South Sudan. I am a physician who has recently relocated here after 22 years in the UK. One huge problem that this new country faces is lack of facilities for the treatment of all types of cancers.
The Real Medicine Foundation (www.realmedicinefoundation.org) was founded in May 2005 inspired by lessons learned after working for months in the Asian Tsunami relief efforts. Real Medicine Foundation (RMF) provides humanitarian support to people living in disaster and poverty stricken areas, and continues to help communities long after the world’s spotlight has faded. We believe that ‘real’ medicine is focused on the person as a whole by providing medical/physical, emotional, economic and social support.
The United States AIDS Program known as the ‘President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief’ (PEPFAR) has awarded the 2011 Lahya Shiimi Award to Dr Basilica Modi. This is the first time a South Sudanese has received this prestigious award “in recognition of the outstanding team work, leadership, dedication and critical contributions to ensuring the sustainability of the HIV/AIDS response in South Sudan”
Dr Thomas Burke is Chief of the Division of Global Health and Human Rights at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, a faculty of the Committee on African Studies at Harvard University, and a physician at MGH and Children’s Hospital Boston. Since 2008, at the request of Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) and the World Bank, Dr. Burke has been working with the Ministry of Health (MOH) in the areas of maternal and child health and capacity building.
The purpose of the e-learning portal is to assist trainees with their written exams. This portal will allow trainees to gain exclusive access to online companies such as onexamination.com and medical-masterclass.com, which have online question banks containing thousands of mock questions. It is impossible to pass the written exams by reading text books only: the Royal Colleges ask certain questions that textbooks often fail to answer. The only way to pass is to answer at least 2,000 practice questions. When you get a question wrong, do not go to the next question. Look in a book, go online, and find out why you got the question wrong and why the right answer is the right answer. This is the only way to pass
The following articles were prepared by the Ministry of Health and UNFPA .
Strengthening nursing and midwifery in Southern Sudan: A key strategy for improving health care beyond independence.
Country Context: Southern Sudan has been experiencing civil war for many years before the historic peace agreement reached in 2005 and the subsequent referendum in 2011. The successful outcome of the referendum has resulted in Southern Sudan preparing to celebrate independence in July 2011.
We at SSMJ would like to acknowledge the achievements and offer our heart-felt congratulations to the following:
Dr Eluzai Abe Hakim, our UK-based editor, who has been appointed International Advisor to Royal College of Physicians representing South Sudan. International Advisors represent the College internationally and act as a point of contact between local Members and Fellows and the College. In addition...
The following material is reproduced with permission from “Situation Analysis of Nutrition in Southern Sudan: Analysis Based on June 2009 Assessment” by Mija-tesse Ververs for the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance II Project (FANTA-2). See Table 1 page 6 “Selected Population Statistics in Southern Sudan” for full details and references.
In November 2010 I took part in a 7-day Regional Medical Camp in Bor town, South Sudan. This was the 4th medical camp organized by the University of Calgary as part of the SSHARE (Southern Sudan Healthcare Accessibility, Rehabilitation and Education) Project...
On 7th November 2010 a group of clinicians set off from the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester, UK on a fact-finding visit to Yei in Southern Sudan. The purpose of this visit was to review healthcare there, specifically secondary care at Yei Civil Hospital, and to assess whether a ‘Link’ between Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust (WEHCT) and Yei Civil Hospital would be mutually beneficial.
The redevelopment of the Martha PHCC Eye Clinic took place during 2010. Figure 1 shows what the building looked like at the start of the year. It had been constructed as two wards for the former eye clinic, and was to have been operated by an NGO. However, it was never completed and for several years the empty building was used by youths for drug taking and graffiti, and to generally cause a nuisance to those who lived nearby.
Each year GOAL in South Sudan conducts a Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) at their field sites in Twic County (Warrap State), Agok (Abyei) and Sobat (Ulang and Baliet Counties, Upper Nile State). These give comprehensive and representative data on many indicators including: nutritional status; mortality; morbidity in the last two weeks; immunisation coverage; child feeding practices; household food security; water; sanitation & hygiene; maternal and general health; malaria prevention; HIV/AIDS, and education.
Every year, many medical students do four-week electives in foreign places as part of their medical training. My friend, Laura-Ann Lambert, and I are medical students from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. We have just completed our electives in Juba Teaching Hospital (JTH), Southern Sudan. As two twenty-one year old female ‘Kawajas’, we were discouraged from taking our medical electives there. In western society, Sudan is still perceived as a dangerous place. Little did they know the wonderful teaching...
In this age of electronic media, here is an idea for South Sudan's health services. Massimo Serventi, a doctor with wide African experience and presently working in Darfur, suggests that everyone, especially children, should have and keep their own personal paper 'health book' – and keep it throughout life. The main aim being to improve the diagnostic orientation of health professionals.
A Vietnamese proverb states, “The mouse does not know life until it has been into the mouth of the cat”. The Vietnamese practice the Buddhist religion and firmly believe in incarnation or rebirth after death. The Southern Sudanese healthcare system has already been 'into the mouth of the cat' during the liberation war. Those of us who remember the dilapidated state of the healthcare services before and during the war do not want to see a similar system reborn or 'know life'
SOSDA Announces that the registration of new members, production of membership cards and updating of register of old members is now on!
This section gives news from Southern Sudan and relevant clinical information from other journals and reports, and suggests materials that can be freely downloaded, and/or obtained in hard copy or on CD. Items are grouped under: Chronic diseases; HIV and other infections; Maternal, newborn and child health; Surgery; General resources.
The first ever College of Nursing and Midwifery in Southern Sudan has been established. This comes at a time when Southern Sudan is recovering from more than 20 years of civil war, which resulted in decay of the available infrastructure, human resources and systems in the health sector. As well as the lack of qualified personnel, the health care infrastructure including hospitals, primary health care centres and primary health care units also lay in total ruin.
We continue with our series of profiles of Non Governmental Organisations (both international and local) and other organisations working in health related fields in Southern Sudan. We hope this will help to publicise the valuable work these are doing, and allow people to make closer links with each other. In this issue we present the profiles of Medair and Merlin.
The Southern Sudan Medical Journal is planning to publish the profiles of Non Governmental Organisations (both international and local) and other organisations working in health related fields in Southern Sudan. We hope this will help to publicise the valuable work these are doing, and allow people to make closer links with each other. In this issue we are pleased to present the profiles of the Malaria Consortium and the Population Services International Sudan.
WHO warns: Aid shortfall may leave millions sick and starving in Southern Sudan
Data from: Weekly Epidemiology Bulletin Week 7-13 December 2009. Ministry of Health GoSS
The Martha Primary Health Care Centre (PHCC) originally started as a health unit in 1980. It was the idea of a school head mistress. It ceased to function during the war. The facility was re-developed in 2003 with a building funded by the Diocese of Salisbury (UK) and managed by the Diocese of Yei (Episcopal Church of Sudan ECS) The Diocese of Salisbury also funded the training of a nurse and a clinical officer...
The Ministry of Health has introduced motorbike ambulances (5 scrambler motorbikes with sidecar "beds") to Eastern Equatoria region in a pilot scheme aimed at cutting the high rates of maternal mortality. "We have a problem bringing critically sick people to the few referral facilities available. We have in our budget this year at least one ambulance per county, but even that one ambulance will not be enough" said Atem Nathan Riek, Director-General of Primary Healthcare...
What a man, what a friend of Africa and the developing world!
Professor David Morley (CBE, MD, FRCP) the widely known and loved paediatrician, died on July 2nd aged 86. After working in Nigeria, where he promoted the Child Growth Chart, he was Lecturer and then Professor (and later Professor Emeritus) at the Institute of Child Health, London...
The Resource Center (RC) opened on May 17, 2008, and is housed at the Juba Teaching Hospital in the special wing. Based on the success of the Juba RC, the USAID Capacity Project is now in the process of opening the second RC at the Wau Teaching Hospital, in Western Bahr el-Ghazal. We procured a space for the second RC and recently completed the renovations. Francis Tombe, librarian for the Juba RC, will co-ordinate...
The Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS), Ministry of Health (MOH) Directorate of Nutrition (DN) hosted a Nutrition Health Convention in April 2009 in Juba. One hundred thirty-four participants attended, including representatives from the MOHs of nine states, teaching hospitals, UN agencies, NGOs and nutritionists from outside South Sudan. Its aims were to...
Outbreak of Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) in Northern Bahar El Ghazal State. Polio outbreak in Southern Sudan.
On May 17, 2008, in Juba, 11 Sudanese-Canadian physicians were recognised for completing medical training and returning to Southern Sudan to practice. Few internationally educated physicians are prepared to return to a homeland as challenging as Southern Sudan
The NGO, Teaching-aids At Low Cost (TALC), has been providing learning material for health workers in less privileged countries for over 40 years. Starting with teaching slide sets and interactive scripts, it moved on to provide low cost books, accessories and more recently, free and low-priced CDs.
Mpower! is a collaborative project of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations-The Netherlands (IFMSA-The Netherlands) and the Mundri Relief and Development Association (MRDA). Mpower! is a ‘training of trainers’ project organized by Dutch medical students in close association with South Sudanese peers...
Notice of another GOAL survey, GOAL, South Sudan carried out a multi indicator nutrition, health, water/sanitation and mortality survey along the Sobat Corridor in May 2008
This article aimed to highlight the important of public health, and focus on legislative framework on water and sanitation as an approach to addressing some of the health challenges. This section of South Sudan Medical Journal is dedicated for articles on public health and health policy in South Sudan. As this is the only medical journal the South has ever launched, its vision should be holistic of improving health of the people of South Sudan and should include public health and health policy. It should inform the Ministry of Health, as the custodian of health of the people of South Sudan, in developing health policies. As the custodian of the nation health, the Ministry of Health, Government of South Sudan (GOSS) should address public health challenges.
-The first 1,000 days
-A new injectable contraceptive
-Child Health e-learning resources
-Primary Mothercare and Population
-State of the World’s Mothers
-Family planning in The Lancet