By Matik Kueth
Health officials in Mankien Payam of Mayom County, Unity State, have sounded the alarm over critical shortages of essential medicines, warning that the area could face a worsening malaria crisis as the rainy season approaches.
In an interview with King Media on Thursday, Dr. Jal Nyot, a medical doctor at Mankien’s Primary Health Care Center (PHCC), said the health facility is overwhelmed by the growing number of patients, causing quarterly drug supplies to run out long before the next delivery arrives.
“Our main challenge is in PCC, so we have a lot of drug supply. Sometimes our supply was scheduled about three months. It comes quarterly,” Dr. Nyot said.
He noted that Mankien receives far more patients than many other health facilities in Mayom County because of its central location.
“Because our area, it is in the middle of Mayom County, in which it has a lot of patients. Sometimes we were doing like 150 clients per day. When you compare for another PCC in Mayom County, so we are doing a lot of patients,” he explained.
The doctor said the situation has become increasingly difficult as essential medicines are exhausted before the scheduled replenishment period.
“That is why our supply has got finished before three months. That one is a big challenge,” he said.
Health officials are particularly concerned about the lack of malaria drugs ahead of the peak malaria season, which usually worsens during the rainy months.
“And again, we don’t have a malaria drug now,” Nyot revealed.
“And this coming month, it is a worsen season. There is a lot of cases of malaria. So, if we go like that, it may be very bad indeed,” he added.
He appealed to humanitarian agencies to urgently intervene and provide additional support to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
“We request our partner, if there is another assistant, we have a need of a more drug like a malaria drug,” he appealed.
The doctor further said the facility largely depends on UNICEF-supported drug supplies, which are intended to last for three months but are often depleted much earlier due to overwhelming patient numbers and limited government support.