SSMJ November 2009
Editorials
Health statistics for Southern Sudan indicate the enormous need for more qualified health staff. For example, the country has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world – 2030 deaths per 100,000 births; 135 out of every 1000 Southern Sudanese children die before their 5th birthday, and there is 1 doctor for every 100,000 people1. The Government is well aware of the situation and the need for more trained staff, particularly nurses and midwives...
News, Reports and Policy
The Martha Primary Health Care Centre (PHCC) originally started as a health unit in 1980. It was the idea of a school head mistress. It ceased to function during the war. The facility was re-developed in 2003 with a building funded by the Diocese of Salisbury (UK) and managed by the Diocese of Yei (Episcopal Church of Sudan ECS) The Diocese of Salisbury also funded the training of a nurse and a clinical officer...
Clinical Guidance
Assessment includes the following:
Confirmation of hypertension,
Risk factors for cardiovascular disease,
Underlying cause(s),
End organ damage,
Indications and contraindications for anti-hypertensive drugs.
History: A thorough history is essential - note particularly...
Research
Motorcycle related trauma is a major cause of morbidity in those of working age in the developing world1. One hundred and sixteen patients involved in motorcycle related accidents were identified over four weeks at the Juba Teaching Hospital in South Sudan. Of these 84% were male with an average age of 26.7 years...
Case Reports
A 26-year-old married male soldier from Kaduguli, Khordofan Region, was admitted to Abu-Anja Hospital in Khartoum with a six-month history of cough and chest pain. The cough was productive of copious sputum and occasionally stained with blood.
At onset, the cough had been non-productive and not associated with...
Summaries
HIV/AIDS: Change in drug treatment reduces HIV infection in newborn babies, Child health:
Mixed progress in reducing world under-5 mortality...