HPF makes surgery a reality in remote Panyijiar
Surrounded by swamps, Ganyiel in a rebel-held Panyijiar county has mostly remained an island of calm in the southern Unity region of South Sudan which was plagued by ongoing conflict throughout 2015.
The Panyijiar County Commissioner’s mother and wife (both seated) pose with family members and neighbours (in the photo above).
The community in Ganyiel is grateful to HPF for building the first operation theatre in the history of the county. HPF working through implementing partner International Rescue Committee (IRC), has built and staffed an operation theatre to complete a fully functioning Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) centre capable of saving lives in obstetric emergencies.
“This is the first time in the history of the county to have an operation theatre thanks to HPF and its donors,” said County Commissioner. John Trap said, before the doctor came, many people were dying of simple illnesses and pregnancy complications and he could see that his community members were dying unnecessarily and as a leader, he thought he needed to something to help.
To support the project, the Commissioner offered to mobilise the community to build staff accommodation at the facility.
“I know that an NGO cannot work alone, as a community we must participate and work together for the good of all. I personally participated by bringing sand for construction. We used government trucks to bring the sand for free,” he said.
The community is grateful for the operation theatre and takes it seriously because it saves lives. Since the opening of the operation theatre in December 2015, all operations have been successful. If HPF had not helped to build it, so many lives would have been lost. Now when someone dies it is because God has chosen to take them, not because of lack of funding support.
The Commissioner has very personal reasons for his strong support of the CEmONC centre construction. Seven months earlier, his wife, pregnant with twins, went into labour at home. She gave birth to the first twin, a girl named Betty Nyabon, on the kitchen table, 48 hours later she had not delivered the second twin. The CEmONC centre then, was still in the early stages of construction and the PHCC was not equipped for surgery.
With no viable referral options the Commissioner was presented with a two options; do nothing and his wife dies or, the doctor operates on her at the PHCC without using right instruments and drugs.
He chose to put his faith in the doctor funded by HPF, his wife underwent a caesarean section in the PHCC without anaesthesia, fainting throughout from the intense pain.
Happily, both mother and child survived, and the couple were rewarded with a second healthy twin; a boy named Alec Iriatin whose name means “saved by God” in the local language. The Commissioner was proud to see his wife to be the first woman operated on by c-section at PHCC, he said his wife is an example of how the community managed before. Without HPF’s support, he would have lost his wife and child.
The commissioner advocates for all women have the same chance to survive and his wife too uses her influence in the community to convince other women to deliver at the facility.
“Before opening the facility, many women would die in labour or die on their way to Leer. So many died because of no access to a doctor. Many people know and trust me, and I am advising all women of childbearing age to go deliver at the facility because it is safer if something goes wrong.” Said the Commissioner’s wife.
The operation theatre was officially opened on 17th December 2015, the whole community danced and celebrated at the opening ceremony. 33 operations including five caesarean sections and five major surgeries were successfully carried out in the first seven weeks. People travel from all over Panyijiar county for its services.