South Sudanese doctors who are working within South Sudan are frustrated and most of them surrendered to the current harsh living conditions. It is a very pathetic experience for most doctors within the country.
Some of them are busy with our private Clinics to survive since most house officers are working for free, medical officers and getting 4000SSP (around 6.5 USD), which comes every 4 to 6 months, consultants are getting 6000 -7000 (10 USD). Some are on contracts since independence.
The Hospital running cost is 160,000 SSP (250 USD) that comes every 6 months with the salary.
HPF is providing drugs that are meant to be for 3 months while they are actually consumed within one to two weeks (push system that brings unnecessary items more than life-saving drugs).
What does the public expect from such a health care system? How can we convince our Health personnel to stay in the hospital while their children have nothing to eat at home?
How can we convince them to come daily and on time while some are living in Gure, Jabel Dinka, Sharikat, and new site, and they don’t have any means of transportation or money to pay to transport themselves?. If there’s someone to answer these questions and others which are not mentioned here then it will be easier for us to fix what has gone wrong.
So many sad experiences and stories, one of such is when a doctor collapsed with hypoglycemia because he was on duty and couldn’t have money to buy something to eat.
Another sad story is that of a doctor who happened to be a resident of a new site, he usually comes late to morning meetings in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
He was a humble and caring junior Doctor, but he always comes late. One day he was challenged why is he always coming late, he explained that he has no money to pay for transportation, he used to walk several kilometers every day from the new site, and he can not go out very early fearing criminals along the road.
This is the real dilemma, only God knows when these myths will be fixed.
