By Sabri Dibaco
MTN South Sudan has launched its annual Yellow Care campaign in partnership with Juba Teaching Hospital, focusing on improving maternal and child healthcare services through technology and infrastructure support.
The initiative runs from June 1 to June 21 under the theme “Expanding Equitable Healthcare for Communities.”
Speaking to the media, MTN CEO Mapula Bodibe said this year’s campaign is centered on “expanding equitable healthcare for communities” with special attention to mothers and children.
“We have partnered with Juba Teaching Hospital to empower and enable them in critical areas where they need our support,” Mapula said.
The initiative will include the solarisation of the neonatal ward to address power shortages, the repair of the hospital’s CT scan machine, and the introduction of voice and SMS health messaging services for mothers.
“We are going to be giving them a solarisation solution so that they always have power; we are also going to help them repair the CT scan machine so that it can provide the support patients need.”
MTN has also launched a donation line through MTN MoMo, allowing the public to contribute funds directly to the hospital.
Mapula said the company chose maternal and child health because South Sudan continues to face serious maternal health challenges.
“When you empower a community to have mothers and children that are well taken care of, you build a future for the country,” she said.
She added that supporting Juba Teaching Hospital will benefit people across South Sudan, as the facility serves patients from all regions of the country.
On his part, Gibson Natana, the director general of Juba Teaching Hospital, said the partnership will focus on maternal and child healthcare while also restoring a CT scan machine that has been out of service for some time.
“We are grateful that we are the institution that has been selected by MTN to receive support, especially in maternal and child healthcare,” Natana said.
Gibson Natana noted that the breakdown of the machine had forced many patients to seek expensive services from private hospitals, while others had to rely on ordinary X-rays, which often fail to provide sufficient diagnostic details.
“The standard of care right now for cases of trauma and cases of tumours is a CT scan,” he explained. “There are other options like ordinary X-ray, but they cannot reveal all the details.”
Gibson-Natana expressed gratitude to MTN South Sudan and its leadership for partnering with the hospital to improve healthcare services for vulnerable patients.
“Juba Teaching Hospital is your institution and the major hospital in the country. We are grateful to MTN, its leadership, and its staff for the support and partnership they have brought to the hospital,” he said.