WHO hands over supplies to Al Sabbah Children Hospital, South Sudan’s only children hospital

(All Images Credit: WHO)

Al Sabbah children hospital is the only tertiary referral children’s hospital in South Sudan with a stabilization center receiving children with severe acute malnutrition from all parts of the country. This translates into the high demand for medical supplies and equipment for the hospital to be able to tend to the one thousand children coming to the center each month.

Despite the stretch, Al Sabbah children hospital runs with slightly over 100 health workers and still manages to provide clinical training to students from both public and private institutions. The nutrition team of the World Health Organization (WHO) in South Sudan has been a longstanding partner and advocate for the hospital to benefit from technical and logistical support in critical areas.

Dr Joseph Elias, the acting Executive Director of Al Sabbah is appreciative of WHO’s support: “We know that the patients exceed the hospital’s capacity which affects the access to timely and quality healthcare. Having partners such as WHO supporting Al Sabbah children hospital is a godsend for both the health workers and the families.” said Dr Elias.

On 21 July, WHO handed over pediatric beds, mattresses, oxygen concentrators, spare parts, severe acute malnutrition (SAM) kits and pulse oximeters to the management of Al Sabbah children hospital. The medical supplies and equipment were procured with funding from the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). The handover was an emotional moment for the personnel who often have more patients than beds and less supplies than they need to treat them.

Betty Achan has been a nutritionist at Al Sabbah children hospital stabilization center for over a decade: “Look at this beautiful ward. These beds were really needed. Receiving them from WHO was a relief. We have so many children, and it is heartbreaking to tell a family that you have nowhere to put their sick child. Please go be our ambassadors and advocate more. We need more over everything because the demand is so high.” Said Betty.

South Sudan faces many challenges, particularly in the health sector, and children are among the most vulnerable. Based on the hospital’s monthly pediatric death audits, 50% of deaths occurring at Al Sabbah are recorded at the stabilization center. Over the first quarter of 2025, mortality rates at the center range between 14% and 19%. The main causes of the alarming rates being Malaria, Pneumonia, Sepsis and Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD) which is particularly dangerous for children due to their smaller and developing bodies making them more susceptible to infections.

The supplies from WHO are intended to strengthen the stabilization center and hospital’s capacity to respond to the needs of children who walk through Al Sabbah’s doors.

Dr Humphrey Karamagi, WHO Representative in South Sudan assured the hospital of continued support: “These supplies are for the children. They are for the mothers who sit anxiously at their bedside. They are for the doctors and nurses who work tirelessly. And they are for a future where every child in South Sudan has the opportunity not just to survive, but to thrive.”

Supporting Al Sabbah children hospital is part of WHO’s broader commitment to improving maternal, newborn, and child health in South Sudan as well as the country’s health priorities.

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Source: https://www.afro.who.int/countries/south-sudan/news/who-hands-over-supplies-al-sabbah-children-hospital-south-sudans-only-children-hospital