Babies surviving and thriving in South Sudan
Mission partner sees dramatic fall in neonatal mortality
Photo: Dedicated staff at Al Sabbah hospital in Juba South Sudan have made hug efforts to drive down the number of newborns dying
In Juba, South Sudan, many more families are taking home healthy babies following changes at a local hospital over the past 18 months.
When mission partner Nicci Maxwell arrived in Juba in mid-2024, the mortality rate on the neonatal ward at Al Sabbah Children’s Hospital was at 15 per cent, meaning up to 35 families each month were grieving the loss of a newborn baby.
A paediatrician with a particular interest in newborns, Nicci was determined to change this, and senior management at the hospital was committed to supporting any progress that could be made.
Nicci has been grateful to work with a core group of nursing staff dedicated to the mothers and babies they care for.
Together, during the 18 months since Nicci arrived, staff at the hospital have improved overall cleanliness and facilities, even adding a high dependency unit to better support the sickest babies.
As a result of their hard work, the mortality rate on the neonatal ward at Al Sabbah hospital has dropped to just below five per cent at the time of writing.
Where 18 months ago, on average 35 families a month were grieving the loss of a child, that number has now dropped to 12. And in Nicci’s words, “There is so much more to do!”
Nicci supports and trains local staff alongside caring for babies and children at Al Sabbah Children’s Hospital and in the local refugee community.
Wanting to improve paediatric care more widely as well as locally, together with colleagues from Al Sabbah and representatives of the WHO, Nicci is involved in the production of a Paediatric Pocketbook.
This will be an accessible guide to the important basics of paediatric and newborn care for health workers across the whole of South Sudan. This exciting development will hopefully benefit children all over the country.
