By John Agok 

The government should not spend all money on only COVID -19 neglecting other priorities like other medical attention and relief service for people cut off and those participating in Agricultural activities.

The government failure to provide clean drinking water, food security, and health services to its dear citizens is the flagrant violation of Human Rights,” Edmond Yakani executive director of Community Empowerment for Progress Organization told Journalists for Human Rights reporter on Monday.

“Since the outbreak of COVID 19 pandemic, it came with restrictions like social distancing, stick to personal hygienic programs, and others that affect the livelihoods of the citizens.  Despite our country ”s medical services, which is weak. This needs the government, especially the Ministry of Health, to adapt the National Health balancing theory by allocating budget to other neglected priorities: responding to HIV/Aids, diabetes, vaccination of children, and also on livestock than focusing on COVID 19 alone”, he said.

Yakani also urged the Ministry of Finance to allocate budget for other people who are vulnerable like in Prisons, people in protection camp (POC) that lack basic needs to combat hunger and COVID 19 pandemic, water for handwashing and respiratory hygiene”, he added.

“Edmond welcomes president decision to formed new High-level Taskforce (HLTF), but I am cautioning them to let the decision-making process of HLTF be influenced by medical professionals, not politicians for it to be effective,” he concluded.

However, South Sudan doctors union acting chairperson Dr. Antonie Garang commended the President by forming newly ( HLTF) in bringing technocrats together with an aim to collectively counteract COVID 19 pandemic in the country. Saying that the medical doctors are doing their best in treating other diseases like diabetes, malaria, among other illnesses despite the current shortages of medicine in health facilities in the country “, he said.

In response to citizen grievances on hunger and diseases not related to COVID 19. Mr. Mandela Nelson, the business vendor at Konyokonyo market, caught up in an interview saying that,  

“There is need for our government to respond on such numerous challenges and disturbances created by the lockdown and later on restrictions to combat the spread of COVID 19, these measures are likely to intensify the threat of other illness,  such as malaria, cholera,  malnutrition, and measles,  as resources become scarcer, international NGOs find it more difficult to move around and replace staff, and already-minimal health services become even harder to access.  The business also slumps in prices since borders restrict the movement of goods and services in regard to COVID -19 pandemic “, he explains.