By Lodu William Odiya
A member of Country Coordination Mechanism (CCM) has called on the government to put more efforts and fund the health sector in the country.
Speaking during an engagement between media, CCM women and civil society organization, Ms. Veronica Lucy, CCM member representing the media constituency said many people are dying due some silent diseases in the communities in South Sudan.
“People hear more about conflicts, but the conflict with disease remains unheard. Voices of the unheard who are dying in silence without bullets is increasing. We are calling upon the government as civil society to put more money in health sector to fight disease that is killing us silent” she explained.
Lucy emphasized that issues in the health sector such as HIV, TB, malaria, and other disease needed awareness to the communities.
“When you talk about disease, you must have enough evidence about the disease and where exactly it is affecting the people. More information is needed on health issues. Many people are dying daily where there are no bullet and weapon. We need to fight diseases in every sector” she explained.
She urged the media sector continue with information dissemination in for the communities to understand and fight diseases which are silently killing people in the areas.
“People who want to rescue their lives but may not have information to fight the disease. There are certain diseases that are hidden where they cannot access information” she said.
She further added that in some rural areas where there is no telecom, no radio stations, people don’t access information even access health facilities making many women to die because they don’t have ambulances in that particular area.
Lucy underlined regardless of death, some communities still live in a customary standard, traditional way of their lives.
She further called on the government to fund the health sector, noting the war with disease is more powerful than the war of insecurity.
“We are insecure in the hands of disease. the number of deaths in and out is exceeding the number of the insecurity that people are being killed and reported” she emphasized.
On her part, Dr. Achol Ayom, the deputy chairperson of the South Sudan Aids commission said the ministry of Health is trying their best but need some funding.
“Fighting disease without money doesn’t work. We cannot put the health of our people in the hands of organizations” she stressed.
“We could see when Americans said, we don’t want to give you our money. So now, it’s us to do it. South Sudan, our people in the villages don’t know what is HIV” she added.
Ayom underscored apart from definition is also poor clue on how to prevent themselves and how they take their medicine.
“All the organizations, they don’t want to fund it. And they say, what is the work of the government? Yes, we know the government has some difficulties. But in spite of that, let’s try our best. Let’s fund primary prevention Please, government” she appealed.