MSF: 20 patients in Jonglei face risk of death as medical blockade stalls evacuations

Author: Koang Pal Chang | Published: 4 hours ago FILE PHOTO: Five MSF cars transport supplies and MSF teams on their way to a mobile clinic in Morobo County, Central Equatoria. JUBA, South Sudan (Eye Radio) – Doctors Without Borders has today warned that twenty critically ill patients in Jonglei State face an immediate risk of death as humanitarian blockades continue to paralyze life-saving medical evacuations. In a statement released on Friday, January 16, the medical charity—also known as MSF—reports that severe restrictions on movement have prevented the referral of patients who require urgent specialized care. MSF officials say these delays make it increasingly likely that patients will suffer permanent disability or die before they can reach a hospital. The organization reveals that since December 30th, these access constraints have blocked essential medical supplies from reaching hospitals in Lankien and primary healthcare centers in Pieri. MSF Operations Manager Gul Badshah notes that the situation is deteriorating rapidly as conflict and displacement increase the needs of vulnerable children and pregnant women. “Lives are being put at risk every day because critically ill patients cannot be referred for the care they urgently need,” said Gul Badshah, MSF Operations Manager, in today’s statement. “Patient referrals are not optional or administrative procedures; they are life-saving interventions.” According to today’s report, health facilities that previously treated seventeen hundred people every week are now forced to offer only emergency care. This leaves a population of two hundred and fifty thousand people without a reliable healthcare lifeline. In its statement, MSF is demanding immediate and unhindered access to the region. The group is calling for predictable flight schedules to allow for the delivery of medicines, the rotation of staff, and the evacuation of those fighting for their lives. MSF has been present in what is today South Sudan since 1983 and remains one of the largest medical humanitarian actors in the country, currently operating in six states and two administrative areas. In 2025, MSF provided more than 830,000 outpatient consultations, inpatient care for over 93,000 patients, including 12,000 surgeries, screened 107,000 children for malnutrition, and performed regular critical referrals across the country.