SSMJ May 2019

Editorials

Forty years of primary health care programming and its future in South Sudan

Primary health care (PHC) is a whole-of-society approach to health and well-being centred on the needs and preferences of individuals, families and communities. It addresses the broader determinants of health and focuses on the comprehensive and interrelated aspects of physical, mental and social health and wellbeing. The PHC revolution was initiated by health leaders in the Alma-Ata Declaration in 1978 and so is now 40 years old.

News, Reports and Policy

Martha Primary Health Care Centre: how resilience and international collaboration is transforming a community

Martha PHCC developed thanks to a very generous grant from Irish Aid and it continuous to grow

Point Of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) is saving lives

The use of the point-of-care ultrasound is saving lives after its implementation in MSF’s hospital in Agok

Juba College of Nursing and Midwifery milestones in 2018

So far the school has graduated over 304 students who are serving the country and supporting the continued reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality

The Evidence for Contraceptive Options and HIV Outcomes

The Evidence for Contraceptive Options and HIV Outcomes (ECHO): Does hormonal contraception increase the risk of acquiring HIV?

10 steps to successful breastfeeding.

10 steps to successful breastfeeding. WHO and UNICEF

Obituary - Dr Joy Theophilus and Dr Emmanuel Kenyi

The South Sudanese medical fraternity lost two great colleagues within a short time of each other in April, 2019

Letter to the editor

What South Sudan must do to reduce high maternal and infant deaths: increase health and social sector budgets by at least 30%

Clinical Guidance

Integrated Primary Health Care (iPHC) for developing countries: a practical approach in South Sudan

The existing model of healthcare in most developing countries is predominantly hospital-based and inherited from colonial systems without much modification. The founding vision of Primary Health Care (PHC) adopted in Alma Atta in 1978 has not worked in that it puts emphasis on the already poor communities to support their own health workers.

Addressing high vaccination coverage in primary health care settings: challenges and best practices

It is an undoubted fact that vaccines have proven to be one of the most successful public health interventions to combat the burden of infectious diseases in a cost effective manner thereby alleviating adverse health consequences and improving quality of life in the population. Vaccines can save countless lives in a country provided there is an ongoing successful immunization programme with high vaccine uptake rates.

Preventing blindness from diabetic retinopathy through community screening

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the commonest microvascular complication of diabetes and a leading cause of blindness in working age adults. The global prevalence of diabetic retinopathy is estimated at 34% and varies from region to region. Its prevalence is increasing in Sub Saharan Africa and other low and middle low income countries, fuelled by the increasing number of people living in poverty with diabetes, poor control of blood sugar, lipids and blood pressure as well as lack of services for early detection and treatment of DR.

Research

Using livelihoods to support primary health care for South Sudanese refugees in Kiryandongo, Uganda

Renewed conflict in South Sudan has displaced 2.3 million people outside the country, of whom 789,098 (35%) have taken refuge in neighbouring Uganda. Eighty-two percent of South Sudanese refugees are women and children. With increasing barriers to operating within the country due to ongoing instability, some organisations supporting primary health care in South Sudan have also turned to exploring how South Sudanese refugees in neighbouring countries can be assisted.

Case Reports

No documents found.

Summaries

UK-South Sudan Alliance: a strategy for increasing capacity and access to primary care and public health

No one doubts the need for increased healthcare capacity in South Sudan. This need is exemplified by the statistics for maternal and child health [1]. These elucidate the serious challenge of healthcare in South Sudan, with estimates consistently placing the country towards the bottom of world rankings for maternal and child mortality.

What is the best way for healthcare systems to charge sick patients?

What is the best way for healthcare systems to charge sick patients? Although everyone might like all health care to be free, this is increasingly becoming an unrealistic aspiration. Healthcare is getting more expensive and a major challenge facing both the developed and developing world is how to make it affordable and available to everyone.

How can we bridge the gap between literacy and health in South Sudan?

Addressing the low literacy rates in South Sudan has been a longstanding priority for primary health care providers as a way to improve the country’s poor overall health status. Improving the literacy rate by “ensuring that all girls and boys complete primary and secondary education” by 2030 is ambitious but achievable for optimum health and socio-economic development

Performance of low‐literate community health workers treating severe acute malnutrition in South Sudan

In 2017, the global acute malnutrition prevalence reached close to 20% in Aweil South County, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, South Sudan. Previous data had suggested that less than half of the children in that region with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) were enrolled in treatment programmes.