Obongi — Health services in Obongi District are expected to come under severe strain following a drastic reduction in health workers supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees through Medical Teams International.
The Obongi District Health Officer, Dr Joseph Arike Koluni, said the number of health workers funded through the UNHCR–MTI partnership has dropped from 149 to just 29, leaving 120 health personnel laid off.
“This reduction has shifted the burden of providing healthcare to the government workforce, which is already overstretched,” Dr Koluni said.
“The increased workload will inevitably affect the quality of healthcare services for both refugees and host communities,” he added.
Obongi District hosts more than 120,000 South Sudanese refugees, the majority of whom are settled in Palorinya Refugee Settlement in Palorinya Sub-county.
Dr Koluni said the district has introduced temporary measures to mitigate the impact of the staffing crisis as authorities seek longer-term solutions.
“We have recalled staff who had gone for festivities, redesigned duty rosters, and intensified supervision and monitoring of health service delivery,” he said, adding that documentation of findings would begin next week.
At a separate stakeholders’ meeting held on Friday in Adjumani District, MTI Regional Program Manager Dr Christopher Nyolonga attributed the staff layoffs to funding constraints affecting refugee health programmes.
“The available funding can no longer sustain the previous staffing levels,” Dr. Nyolonga said.
UNHCR Adjumani Sub-Office Head Bernard A. Inkoom also acknowledged the funding gap, explaining that resources provided to implementing partners are subject to strict conditions that directly affect staffing and service delivery.
“These constraints have a direct impact on staffing and service delivery,” Inkoom said.
District leaders have since called for urgent and coordinated intervention, urging UNHCR and MTI to mobilise additional resources to prevent further deterioration of healthcare services for refugees and host communities in Obongi District.
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