New Pediatric Center Brings Hope to More Children
First Young Patients Treated at Inaugural Opening
In the small town of Nzara in the Western Equatoria state of South Sudan, a medical facility stands as a symbol of hope for more than half a million people.
St. Theresa Hospital serves a vast population stretching from South Sudan to the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. The mission hospital is dedicated to providing some of the best medical care the country has to offer, and people travel long distances to seek treatment they can’t get anywhere else.
Fighting Childhood Mortality
Tragically, many children in this part of the world never live to see their fifth birthday. Even worse, many of these deaths are preventable if these children had received medical care. It’s telling that more than 70 percent of patients who come through the doors of St. Theresa Hospital Nzara are under the age of five.
“Without treatment, simple injuries can become deadly. Common sicknesses can be a death sentence. The mission of St. Theresa Hospital in Nzara is to turn those stories into testimonies of healing. To stop preventable deaths where treatment can save lives.”
Bringing Modern Medical Solutions to Improve Children’s Lives
We’re excited to share that with the help of generous donors, a brand new children’s ward – the Graham Pediatric Center – is now open at St. Theresa Hospital, to meet the extensive need for children’s health care in this region. The new center is a modern space that includes six high dependence units and an emergency room for children admitted with severe conditions and complications.
The newly launched pediatric center represents significant strides in available medical care slated to improve survival rates and quality of life for children in this highly underserved area. The expansion makes St. Theresa Hospital one of the largest and most well equipped medical centers in the country.
Dedication Event Celebrates Hope for Children
On August 1st, a dedication ceremony was held to celebrate the opening of the children’s ward and give thanks for the hope it will bring children in the area. Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala was in attendance to bless the facility, encouraging the hospital staff to “emulate Christ’s kindness and love for the sick” as they impact children’s lives.
Early Success Stories
The center officially opened its doors to its first pediatric patients on August 13th, when a young mother brought her three year-old girl, Sadia, and baby boy, Luak, to the children’s ward. Both were suffering from symptoms of malaria, a disease that claims thousands of lives each year in South Sudan. But the illness is curable if prompt and effective treatment is received.
Both Sadia and Baby Luak were admitted and immediately put on a protocol of antimalarial medications. The children responded very well to treatment. Within 48 hours, their symptoms were gone, and brother and sister were discharged to return home. The toddlers’ mother was extremely relieved and expressed her deep gratitude for saving her children from the grip of malaria.
You Make the Difference
The staff of St. Theresa Hospital Nzara and all of the Sudan Relief Fund team are thankful for our supporters who have made this expansion possible to serve more children. The hospital staff wishes to “sincerely thank our donors for facilitating the construction of this new pediatric center. The children in the region now have a second home to take care of them when they are sick. As it is written in Matthew 19:14, Jesus said ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’”
These stories of Lives Saved are made possible because of generous donors like you who support facilities such as St. Theresa Mission Hospital Nzara, and provide medical care where children and many others would not have it.
Each year the hospital treats over 20,000 people in need, makes childbirth safer for mothers, performs lifesaving surgeries, provides critical care to premature babies, offers X-ray diagnostics and eye care clinics – services that are unheard of in this region. Thank you for saving lives and bringing hope into desolate places.
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