South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Jenifer James
The Women in Terekeka County, Central Equatoria State, are urging the government and humanitarian organisations to urgently address the deteriorating healthcare situation in the county, particularly the shortage of maternal and child health services.
In an exclusive interview with The Dawn newspaper on Monday, Martha Paul, Chairperson of the Women’s Association in Terekeka County, said women across the ten Payams are facing life-threatening challenges due to the absence of nearby medical facilities.
According to Martha, there are many cases of women facing difficulties during delivery, which is especially hard at night.
“Health is one of the major challenges that women are facing, Especially when a woman is in labour, it’s difficult to bring her all the way from Terekeka to Juba to deliver. Sometimes she survives, but we lose the child.” Martha said
She emphasised the urgent need for the construction of hospitals and the deployment of qualified healthcare workers in the county. “We need the government and NGOs to help the county with a good hospital and reliable medical services,” she added.
Meanwhile, local residents have said the situation has persisted for years, forcing families to travel long distances in emergency situations.
“We have seen mothers give birth on the roadside while trying to reach a clinic,” said Mary Kiden, a mother of three from Tali Payam.
“There is no ambulance, no maternity centre, and no midwife in our area; this alone makes life hard for women here.”
She echoed the same concerns, calling the lack of healthcare a serious humanitarian issue.
“We cannot continue to bury women and children because of preventable causes,” she said. “We need urgent intervention. Our people deserve better.”
She appealed for both immediate support and long-term investment in the county’s healthcare infrastructure to prevent further loss of life.
