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Gatbel Reak Chuol, a member of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) representing Maiwut County, criticized the state health ministry’s decision to downgrade the facility from a hospital to a primary health center following the withdrawal of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 2013.
The ICRC had managed the facility for over a decade after the 2013 crisis. Chuol argued that downgrading the facility was detrimental to the community’s healthcare needs.
“Upgrading the status of the health facility would significantly improve health services for the community,” Chuol said.
He appealed to the national health ministry to “re-align the budget” to allow Maiwut to function as a hospital again.
Chuol emphasized the existing infrastructure and resources available at the facility.
“The building is there, the public is there, and the land is there,” he said. Upgrading the facility, he argued, would address the “serious health service gap” caused by the overwhelming number of patients seeking treatment.
“This has a big impact,” Chuol said, highlighting the need for a referral hospital to serve pregnant mothers and other critical cases. “We have enough doctors and medical directors to run the hospital,” he added, refuting any concerns about staffing shortages.
Chuol stressed that Maiwut deserved the same level of healthcare access as other counties in Upper Nile state.
