Buckeye Satellite Clinic in the Mongalla IDP Camp
The White Nile River flooded in July 2020 and breached the dike that protects the Buckeye Clinic in Piol, South Sudan. Residents were evacuated to an Internally Displaced Persons Camp (IDP) in Mongalla. There are no precise estimates of when the dike will be rebuilt allowing them—or the Buckeye Clinic—to return to the village.
The Board of Directors pledged to continue the mission to provide maternal, child, and other health care by establishing the Buckeye Satellite Clinic in the Mongalla IDP Camp. With over 38,000 Internally Displaced People living in the camp and over 400 households still uncounted, the clinic was built and has been serving patients since September 2021. The Buckeye Satellite Clinic is the only clinic in the camp operating around the clock, providing acute critical care day and night.
Our staff of 12 skilled professionals have served over 7,000 patients in the first eight months of operations and our patient case-load is increasing. We provide pre and post-natal care to pregnant mothers and newborn babies and routine childhood vaccinations. Our clinical staff provide safe delivery care for mothers and critical care for sick children and adults.
Maternal & Child Health
South Sudan has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world, and the majority of South Sudanese women deliver at home without a skilled attendant. The Buckeye Satellite Clinic provides safe delivery care with a midwife and a traditional birth attendant.
Vaccinations
75% of children in South Sudan do not receive the necessary childhood vaccines within the first-year of life. Children born at the Buckeye Satellite Clinic are immediately vaccinated and put on a schedule for their first-year vaccines.
Malaria
Almost 60% of patients served in the first eight months of opening the satellite clinic treated were for Malaria. The Buckeye Clinic purchases first line malaria medications that are not provided by the Ministry of Health.
Medication
Access to medicines is a challenge in South Sudan. The Buckeye Satellite Clinic staff must travel to pharmacies in the country’s capital, Juba, to pick up medicines from different warehouses. Those that are not available through the Ministry of Health must be purchased at private pharmacies in Juba at considerable expense.
Emergency Care
As the only clinic open 24/7, the Buckeye Satellite Clinic is always prepared to serve patients. Due to close proximity of the major highway between large cities, the clinic has often treated motorcycle and automotive accident patients.
Current Funding Crisis
In past years in Piol, BCSS augmented internationally funded non-governmental organizations services with buildings, staff food, and special staff such as a nurse midwife, cooks, and cleaners. In the IDP camp, however, we are carrying the entire costs of the satellite clinic. Despite our persistent efforts in South Sudan and our attempts here in the US, we have not been able to partner with an internationally-funded NGO or other health care service.
It costs over $8,000 per month to pay staff salaries and purchase essential drugs, medications, and supplies. April and May of 2022 have seen an increase to 1,389 patients per month as Malaria has heavily impacted the IDP camp. This covers treatment for over 1,000 patients per month.
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