The incident occurred in Kapoeta North County, where residents say they have been suffering due to the chronic lack of ambulances and basic medical transport services. The patient, whose condition remains undisclosed, had to endure several kilometers of rough terrain in a wheelbarrow—an ordeal locals described as both “painful and humiliating.”
“This is not the first time,” said a concerned community elder. “Our people are dying not because of disease, but because there is no way to get to the hospital in time.”
Healthcare workers at Riwoto PHCC confirmed that emergency transport is virtually nonexistent in the area. The few available motorcycles and vehicles are either broken down or privately owned, forcing families to resort to whatever means they can find—including wheelbarrows, donkeys, and makeshift stretchers.
Humanitarian organizations and local leaders are calling on the national government and international partners to urgently address the health system gaps in remote areas like Kapoeta North.
“Access to emergency medical transport is not a luxury—it’s a basic right,” one aid worker noted. “Without it, even curable conditions become fatal.”
As South Sudan pushes toward development and modernization, this incident serves as a stark reminder of the growing inequalities in access to healthcare between urban centers and rural regions.
