Lakes State celebrates nurses and midwives day amid calls for improved remuneration

By Mayak Majak Madit Tokjok

Nurses and midwives in Lakes State have called on the national and state authorities to look into improving their remuneration and working conditions, during celebration on Thursday to mark International Day of Nurses and Midwives.

Santos Meen Mading, Chairperson for South Sudan Nurses and Midwives Association (SSNAMA) in Lakes State, said during celebrations held in Rumbek town that nurses and midwives play great role in saving lives across the country, adding that they need to be better facilitated to continue doing their work.

“The government needs to motivate nurses and midwives by improving their remuneration and working conditions,” Mading said.

He said nurses and midwives are persevering to save lives amid hard conditions resulting from delayed payment of salaries.

Mading said some of the nurses and midwives are finding difficult to perform their duties due to the economic hardship prevailing in the country.

Bol Kulang, the administrator of Rumbek State Hospital, said that the national government appreciated NGO Doctors with Africa CUAMM for supporting capacity building and donation of equipment to the State Hospital over the years.

Peter Awan Aluong, the Secretary General for the Students Union at Rumbek Health Science Institute, urged the administrators of the health institute to improve the working condition of intern nurses and midwives working at Rumbek State Hospital.

“They work for overtime often under challenging circumstances,” Awan said.