Suzan Mandera, a 30-year-old refugee from South Sudan, now walks nearly 9 miles to the government-run Panyadole health centre.
"That is now my medicine.
I mix the leaves in a pot, boil them all and drink until I become dizzy with sleep.
I don’t think it is a good idea, but what can I do?" Mandera says, pointing at surrounding guava, mango, and eucalyptus trees.
Medical Staff Shortages and Rising Mortality
Panyadole health centre remains under massive strain after losing 58 of its 130 personnel in December, while attempting to serve a population of 300,000 people.
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Dr Nicholas Sabiiti, a medical officer at the facility, expressed that he rarely gets a day off or finds time to eat before nightfall after letting go of more than half the staff in 2025.
His colleague, midwife Sarah Birungi, explained that massive travel distances and long queues cause patients to suffer dangerous medical delays.
Midwives are under extreme demand, leaving some deliveries unattended.
"We are seeing mothers with sepsis returning to hospital because of all these delays," she says.
"It’s either they delay getting to us because of long journeys and queues, or we are delayed attending to them, which was never the case before we lost all these staff."
While no puerperal sepsis cases occurred before the October staff cuts, Panyadole recorded at least five cases in January.
Furthermore, IRC data indicates that newborn deaths at the facility increased from 13 in October to 23 in January.
