Did Corruption and Bad Governance Undermine Effective Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Sudan?

Did Corruption and Bad Governance Undermine The Response To The Pandemic And Deprive People Of Health Care In South Sudan?

By Mawien Maring Upper Nile,South Sudan.

Tuesday, February 16, 2021 (PW) — As communities around the world face an unprecedented global health
crisis with the rapid spread of the coronavirus or COVID19 pandemic, our governments’ first priority should be promoting our health and safety among the top priorities.
But extraordinary outbreaks like this one also tend to expose more cracking & crippling health systems to the outside world, highlighting potential risks and opportunities for systematic corruption – corruption that may undermine the response to the pandemic and deprive people of health care.

Was South Sudan Health systems on the critical brink of collapse before COVID? South Sudan was already on a trajectory towards a health and humanitarian crisis because of a severely critical total collapse in national governance. Many of the country’s residents, who have had long faced crippling economic hardship that has been intensifying before coronavirus since the political crisis broke out in 2013, are now unable to afford at least a meal and essential medicines for just malaria. The country of over 11.3 million people based on worldometer elaboration data from UN are struggling to keep up with this pandemic.

More than 5,310 people have contracted the virus so far and more than 160 have died fighting it—-devastating numbers that increase daily though there is an immense under reporting due to lack of tracking & surveillance system.
An extreme volume of South Sudanese who are fleeing the country due to ongoing violence, insecurity & patients seeking medical care threatens to overwhelm already fragile limited testing facilitities established at the country capital city. Many states face dire shortages or lack of intensive care unit facilities, personal protective equipment, medical professionals who are able to provide lifesaving care, and
have limited testing and treatment options available to treat the coronavirus or other ailments.

Is South Sudan a corruption risks country? Unfortunately, corruption often thrives during times of crisis, particularly when institutions and oversight are weak as this and public trust is low. We’ve learned from previous nationwide outbreaks & other related crisis, like the cholera outbreak and the cost of R-TGONU peace agreement. Meaning during the time of crisis, South Sudanese used their positions & special expertise as a golden opportunity to enrich themselves in such events & others’ misfortune.
Having a functional institution with technocrats & identifying these corruption risks before they happen can help strengthen our emerging response and get health care to those who need it most.

Is procurement of drugs and medical equipment corruption free? The procurement of medicines and supplies in South Sudan health systems is typically one of the most vulnerable areas for corruption if not placed under humanitarian actors. Since 2020, most of national High-Level Task Force (HLTF) corruption cases which were sealed off & trashed before public noticed are related specifically to procurement
of medical equipment or logistics. Many readers will agree with me whereabouts millions of dollars donated in support of COVID-19 to limit the transmission & reducing potential overwhelming from donors such as IMF $52.3M, USA $8M, World Bank $7.6M & USAID $4.5M amount to
$72.4M among others from well wishes & partners.

The same corruption was systematically extended and officialize under pretext of national High-Level Taskforce and associates leading to the birth of three privatized COVID-19 diagnostic centres. The three are Nujum diagnostics centre-Hai referendum, Queen Laboratory-Nimra Talata & Med Blue. The three profitable centres owns by heavy weights within the system charge South Sudanese nationals at $75/46500 ssp more than what a medical doctor earned per annum and a foreigner nationals at $150/93000 (black market rates) more than what five primary teachers get per annum.

Despites vital backing of many donors and partners with cash/materials to combat a deadly virus, still South Sudanese with extensive experienced in corruption can still privatized testing for COVID-19 to benefits individuals. Once you’re conformed positive, sitting at home with your family members is the only remedy without isolation, close monitoring or any other related support. You start asking yourself why I went for testing when there is no treatment or isolation from the love one. That is South Sudan we were cheated to vote for.

Can government prevent price gouging in this difficult time?
The country economy was already under life support with half population of the country being reported with food insecurity, shortages or no in both essential medicines and medical supplies to curve coronavirus spread. This puts additional strain on already existing economic meltdown and increases the risks of exploitation by government parastatal companies, knowing that civic population have little choice but to pay. This may extort frustrated Junubin to pay higher prices for survival.

Having transparency and accountability in place helps mitigate against these risks. With nowhere to hide, corrupt actors are unable to practice price gouging and must charge civils population with reasonable prices. Stockpiling supplies such as masks, gloves and hand sanitizer is also contributing to shortages in medical supplies. In attempts to profit from public panic, some traders & clinics owners have been inflating prices for ordinary consumers.

In India, the government responded by setting up hotline for citizens to report items being sold above the recommended retails price unlike South Sudan where citizens’ right is a crime to demands. Government and profitable companies must do more to prevent unethical profiteering and the private sector should not put profit before all else.

Do South Sudan knows the important to invest in research and development affect innovation? As countries continue to scramble to keep up with the pandemic, the race is on for researchers and scientists to develop drugs and a vaccine against COVID-19. As a result, South Sudan is struggling to access basic necessities leave alone investing in research and development despites being rich with natural resources.

Why this pandemic is political manipulated & lack transparency? While following coronavirus updates in 2020, the exact laboratory confirmed cases have a slightly better outlook than large numbers of redacted cases to protect commercially & political sensitive data. As per my analysis, there is widespread financial conflicts of interest in combating pandemic disease due to private influence.

These accounts highlight that data itself can be manipulated to produce favorable results in extending profitable deadly project. This influence of privatization over public health undermines the transparency and important of reducing transmission and puts the health of countless individuals, families and communities at risk.

How do South Sudan Prevent general misinformation and protecting health workers during COVID-19? In the midst of this growing global health emergency, there are serious concerns about the spread of misinformation and the real threat against health professionals for speaking out about the
realities of COVID-19 while carrying out their professionalism.

In Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the pandemic, a health care provider and whistle-blower, Li Wenliang, tried to raise early warning about the severity of the pandemic but was silenced by government officials.

In Juba, a laboratory technician who is a career professional working in Dr. John Garang Infectious Disease Unit (IDU) was threatened to be killed by armed man in the laboratory while executing his duties. The innocent health worker was indefinitely told not to step into the laboratory otherwise he will meet his fate or send to his ancestors.

The use of none medics to head & lead the High-Level Taskforce leaving medical fraternity board was just a “hoax”. This results into a wrong & misleading messaging initially just because of the interest to COVID-19 funds available for take away but not public health concerns.

Mixed messaging & putting wrong person in a right place can result in low levels of trust in government and the spread of fake news, a development the World Health Organization labelled as an ‘infodemic’. It’s crucial that governments act in an open and transparent manner in order to build and maintain trust from citizens.

Why bribery so risks during pandemic at our health facilities? As hospitals & testing facilities struggle to cope with COVID-19 and face increasing shortages in staff, beds, ventilators and other equipment, bribery risks are a major concern. Medical providers with the world worst enumeration wages are currently facing very difficult decisions about which patients to treat or test based on who needs care most. This creates an environment ripe for bribery.

In 2019, the Global Corruption Barometer for Africa and the Middle East and North (MENA) found bribery rates in hospitals and health Center to be 14 per cent each.
Patients willing to pay a bribe to receive medical care as soon as possible could leave those most vulnerable and unable to pay at the bottom of the waiting list. This is an evidence based I witness at Dr. John Garang IDU in November 2020. I was waiting online for good 4 days for COVID-19 testing because I don’t want to pay a bribe.

What lessons learned from Ebola in West Africa?
The outbreak, spread, and slow containment of the Ebola virus from 2014 – 2016 provides lessons about corruption in times of crisis. The International Red Cross estimated the cost of corruption to the outbreak in Guinea and Sierra Leone to be more than US$6 million. Reports show that the Ebola epidemic resulted in the diversion and mismanagement of funds, misreporting of salaries, and payment of duplicate supplies and bribery of health professionals to receive medical care and leave quarantined zones.

What did South Sudan learned from COVID-19 pandemics?
As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, they deceased were both rich & poor. Therefore, South Sudan must established a national command centre to help coordinate and tackle future health emergencies. By strengthening good & equipped medical facilities, transparency and developing a robust prevention plan-where the country is better-positioned to respond to large-scale pandemics like coronavirus.

Following the outbreaks of both Ebola in West Africa and SARS in Asia, health care infrastructure has improved thanks to increased scrutiny and additional resources dedicated towards strengthening health systems.

What is a way forward to transform health system in South Sudan? As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, it’s important for R-TGONU to have open and frank parliamentary discussions about the vulnerabilities in our health systems and other institutions that make them more susceptible to corruption.

The South Sudan sympathetists urges government to act with greater transparency to improve the procurement of lifesaving medicines and equipment, promote open and transparent contracts to broke tycoons, prevent price gouging of basic necessities and medical supplies, and regulates the prices of scarce commodities in a timely way.

Equally important, government should do more to prevent the spread of misinformation, protect health workers in their efforts to save lives and reduce the risk of bribery in hospitals and health centres by improving their payment.
Finally, reducing the influence of large, private interests is
essential for government to make better decisions for the public good. Public health, not political or corporate interests, must always come out on top.

The author is a clinician and can be reach via his email:
mawienmaring@gmail.com  or Tel: +211925422247

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