Provision of essential and emergency health care, including emergency obstetric care services in Rubkona County, Northern Liech state The year 2017 will see SSHF responds to deteriorating Health situation that resulted from multiple displacements and has compounded the Health needs of an already vulnerable population across the country. The remaining coping abilities have been further eroded by prolonged food insecurity, economic collapse and disease outbreaks. IDPs remain among the most vulnerable groups in South Sudan, with the most acute and vulnerable populations found in Unity state. 

Rubkona County where this project will be implemented is surrounded by the counties declared as having famine or likelihood of having famine (Leer, Mayendit and Koch) by IPC in February 2017, with some having active conflict ongoing. With the humanitarian crisis deepening and spreading in the county and women and children moving toward the county in fear of famine and conflict from these neighboring counties (Leer, Mayom, Mayendit, Guit and Koch), Health conditions have deteriorated with communicable diseases such as Malaria, acute respiratory infection (ARI) and diarrhea causing significant morbidity and mortality among this population especially children under 5 years (Health Cluster February2017 report) with malaria accounting for 30% of consultations followed by ARI at 19% and diarrhea at 17% and malnutrition have already skyrocketed at 29.2% as indicated by the SMART Survey conducted by CARE during the pre-harvest period of May 2016. The result is a population chronically prone to disease with some 6,522 People mostly women and children currently in dire and urgent needs of health services, especially treatment of SAM with medical complication in the county. 

The project is aligned to Health cluster objective of improving access to essential health care for conflict-affected and vulnerable populations. This will ensure 90% of the population of the vulnerable communities to have access to Primary Health Care by increasing access to primary health care services to Vulnerable Communities through availing minimum essential stock of SAM treatment for medical complicated cases in CASS existing facilities in Rubkona County.

The beneficiaries of this project are mainly women and children of both Host community and IDPs who are residing with the Host community outside the PoC. Locations were selected based on vulnerability and areas that are not covered by existing CASS program, these areas include: Rubkona (Rukona PHCC), Kaljak (Kaljak PHCC), and Nhialdiu (Nhialdiu PHCC). Within the Payam, the project targets to reach at least 90% beneficiaries through treatment of SAM with medical complication and provision of health care services to prevent further children and lactating mothers from developing SAM.

CASS, a lead agency providing primary health care and Nutrition services in Rubkona County with funding from Health Pooled Fund 2 (HPF2) have been facing the challenge of inadequate funding to mitigate this emerging shock. CASS believe that this gap will be mended by SSHF funding to allow rapid scaling up of access to quality emergency health services in these undeserved areas by availing minimum stock of SAM treatment for medical complicated cases that is arising as the result of the emerging famine. 

Being a national organization, CASS has a better understanding of the local context as well as the capacity to provide the most critical services during emergencies even within limited humanitarian corridor where international agencies cannot operate. CASS hopes by doing so, it will build resilience capacity of the population to cop during emergencies and reduce excess morbidity and mortality from common diseases in the state.