Wounded patients admitted to Budi hospital, in Eastern Equatoria, are in desperate condition of rotting without treatment following a nurses’ strike over non payment of salaries.
Budi Hospital was built by the Norwegian People’s Aid and handed over to Eastern Equatoria Ministry of Health last year.Budi County Commissioner, Fr. Maurice Loguti, told Radio Emmanuel that Budi County hospital staff is on strike for about five days while several patients are in disarray.
Fr. Loguti said some of the patients have left the hospital to seek medical treatment elsewhere.
Medical superintendent Dr. Loputo Lokule explained that the striking staff is demanding the salary for the past two months because the state government did not pay them since January.
Dr. Lokule added that some patients wounded by gunshot are unattended and literally rotting away.
Dr. Lokule said only the medical doctors still under the Norwegian People’s Aid are already paid but the nurses have not seen any payment for the last two months.
Eastern Equatoria state minister for health, Florence Night Otto, confirmed the situation, saying the state government has taken up the matter and the finance ministry would clear the salary arrears for the nurses.
Ms. Otto added that the delay in payment resulted from the handover of the hospital from NPA to the government at the end of last year.
She apologised to the striking nurses, adding that they would be paid at once.