Refugee influx and foreign aid cuts strain South Sudan’s health care system

South Sudan’s health care system is under growing strain as it tries to serve an underserved local population and more than a million Sudanese refugees fleeing war. In Renk, near the Sudanese border, international aid cuts are worsening shortages and making it harder for hospitals to care for patients.

Renk Civil Hospital receives more than 500 patients a day and is also trying to help refugees arriving from Sudan, including up to 3,000 each week. Its pharmacy, funded by international partners, is running low on medicines such as malaria tablets during the rainy season, while Relief International reduced its presence at the end of September. The report describes severely malnourished children receiving treatment, including an 11-month-old being monitored for suspected tuberculosis meningitis and a young refugee treated for pneumonia and sepsis.