Madam, - Three years ago this week, North and South Sudan signed a peace agreement, ending decades of civil war. However, on this third anniversary, the people of South Sudan continue to struggle for survival, dying from preventable and curable diseases and facing outbreaks regularly.
Maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the world and poverty-related diseases such as measles, malaria, tuberculosis and Kala Azar remain major killers. The health system requires almost total reconstruction and lacks the capacity to deal with major epidemics. The Ministry of Health and the few remaining humanitarian organisations are shouldering an impossible burden.
However, the international community has shifted its attention away from emergency assistance and towards long-term development initiatives. Yet this does not match the needs or the reality on the ground. MSF teams continue to encounter serious outbreaks of disease and violence that must be met with immediate emergency responses today. - Yours, etc,
ROSS DUFFY,
Head of Médecins Sans Frontières Ireland,
Amiens Street,
Dublin 1.