Médecins Sans Frontières - Back from South Sudan: Intverview with Abdalla Hussein (INT)

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSF290199

Date taken / Date Recorded 25/10/2019 12:00 AM

Country South Sudan

Copyright MSF

Usage Rights (MSF) MSF Fundraising, MSF Publications, Social Media

Formal Consent Copy available no

Editor's rating ★★★ (F)

Video format h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 2m10s

Maximum Size 1920px × 1080px 158.33 MB

Additional Information / Shotlist Meet Abdalla Hussein Former Head of Mission South Sudan

I just came from South Sudan where I was the Head of Mission for MSF. The humanitarian situation has evolved over the last five years of the current ongoing conflict till there is massive humanitarian needs in the country. For MSF one of our main concerns of course remains displacements. There are already millions displaced inside the country and millions others in the region. This year there were also thousands that were displaced by inter-communal violence and violence in the central equatorial

What is MSF doing in South Sudan?

We are operating all over the country. MSF was present in South Sudan since 1983. So basically we have been providing medical assistance in the country for a long time. At the moment we have 15 programs across the country in most of the areas affected by the conflict. I was the head of mission for programs in the upper Nile and Western Equatorial.

What are the main health challenges?

Access to health in general the health system is quite generally weak and what MSF does is we try to access populations that are affected directly by the violence. In Malakal we have for example hospital in the POC which is a place where IDP population within the compound of the United Nations peace mission. For example one of the health problems in that area is measles outbreak. In the beginning of 2019 we had outbreaks in different counts but also in the protection of civilian sites including Malakal where MSF has vaccinated 13,000 children under 10 years. We also have malaria which is a big killer in the country. In Nyambiu, MSF is targeting 18,000 children under 5 to do a chemoprevention of malaria. We are also trying to treat through a community model where we have community workers in the community diagnosing malaria and trying to put patients under treatment within the community so we are also trying to assist for the common diseases like malaria. I would love to see the country in peace. I think that is the wish of millions of South Sudanese. As a fieldworker of MSF I have the same wish