In May 2012, the National Health Cluster and the Central Equatoria State Ministry of Health asked International Medical Corps to be the lead health agency responding to the arrival of thousands of South Sudanese returnees displaced in Sudan. In response, we established a clinic at the National Teacher Training Institute (NTTI) located 30 miles outside South Sudan’s capital city of Juba where thousands of returnees were housed.
International Medical Corps staffed the NTTI with doctors assisted by national clinic officers, nurses, support staff and a nutritionist. To date, International Medical Corps has treated 12,655 patients and made 50 referrals to the Juba Teaching Hospital for advanced care. With support from UNFPA and the local Ministry of Health, International Medical Corp also hosted an antenatal care clinic for pregnant women. International Medical Corps screened all children under five for malnutrition – in total 2,855 children were screened and 59 cases of severe malnutrition and 160 cases of moderate malnutrition identified. We provided outpatient therapeutic feeding with the support of UNICEF for those children with severe malnutrition.
In addition, International Medical Corps distributed mosquito nets due to the high prevalence of malaria and hired health promoters from the camp to encourage the use of the nets and to raise awareness of other health issues. We also worked to prevent an outbreak of diarrheal disease through water, sanitation and hygiene interventions.