South Sudan Medical Journal Vol 19 No 2 May 2026

 

Dear Reader,

The May 2026 issue is online here; we thank all the copyeditors and reviewers who helped prepare these papers. SSMJ is indexed by African Journals Online (AJOL) – go here to see who reads us.


 

Editorial 

• Ebola: The Bundibugyo virus is back Edward Eremugo Kenyi
  
  

RESEARCH ARTICLES

• Risk factors in glaucoma: Insights from a prospective case–control study, Belagavi, India Asawari Kabure, Bhushan Kulkarni, Shilpa Kodkany, Murigendra Hiremath
• OV16 antibody seropositivity reveals persistent onchocerciasis transmission and cross-border risk in Magwi County, South Sudan: a population-based survey Ezbon WApary, Yak Yak, Benson Ojara, Wilson Ladu, David Oguttu, Ian Hennessee, Pita Jane, Johan Willems, Thok Chol, Kamulete Horasio, Okot William, Amanya Jacob
• Prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis in communities along the River Niger Basin areas, North-Central Nigeria Nyamngee Amase, Ikpe Raphael Terlumun, Kayode Yusuf Abel, Sulaiman Mariam Kehinde, Akanbi II Aliu Ajibola
• Developing a communicable and infectious diseases research agenda in South Sudan: A multi-stakeholder prioritisation approach Amanya Jacob, Ezbon WApary, Dhieu Daniel, Atemthi Dau, Matur T. Tieng, John Rumunu, Cicilia Konga, Bol Atem, Betty Eyobo, Robert Napoleon, Joseph Panyuon, Kenneth L Sube, Kon Alier, Joseph Lako, John Suraj, Abuelguasim M. Hassan, Mapuor Areu, Lazarus Atem, Aja Kuol, Pizzi Wilson, Achcer Adup Mou
• Determinants of disaster preparedness among public health facilities in Juba City, South Sudan Dumba Samuel Kenyi, Muthoni Mwangi Eunice, Musa Olouch
• Evaluating the role of the health information system infrastructure in enhancing data quality in Central Equatoria State, South Sudan Matur T. Tieng, Karani Magutah, Joseph Muchiri
• Impact of developmental stimulation education on maternal knowledge and caregiving practices in stunting: a longitudinal study Ning Iswati, Azizan Omar, Sukhbeer Kaur Darsin Singh, Putra Agina Widyaswara Suwaryo 
• Holding the line: lived experiences of mental health, moral injury, and organizational support among public-health professionals in the Rohingya Camp, Bangladesh — phenomenological study Md. Ruhul Amin

CASE REPORTS 

• Endoscopic endonasal repair of post-traumatic sphenoid sinus cerebrospinal fluid leak with encephalocele Justin Rubena, Khalid Coco, Francis Swaka, Othwonh Twong 
• A rare pathological feature of portal vein thrombosis complicated by portal hypertension and haematemesis Hamidine Illa, Ganiou Tidjani Kabirou, Amadou Magagi Mahamane Ibrahim, Maman Brah Moustapha, Soumaila Abdou, Habou Garba Abdoul Malik, Adamou Harissou

REVIEW ARTICLE

• Interpersonal and community-level factors influencing intimate partner violence in South Sudan: a literature review Nyinypiu Tong Chol Adong 

SHORT COMMUNICATIONS

• Letter to the Editor J. Clarke McIntosh
• Letter to the Editor Eluzai A. Hakim
• News from the Gordon Memorial College Trust Fund Eluzai A. Hakim

BACKCOVER: CDC Poster: Flu or Ebola? 

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The SSMJ team
Email: southsudanmedicaljournal AT gmail.com
Website: http://www.southsudanmedicaljournal.com
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RCN Congress iii 2025 - Accountability for patients in ambulances

The resolution (with a reading list) on Accountability for patients in ambulances

- drew attention to language once again (yes, well there's a truism: what do you expect!). This time highlighting how corridor care is now variegated. In addition, politically you can circumvent addressing an issue, by referring to 'never events', and 'zero tolerance' as we read:

'This agenda item addresses the urgent issue of accountability, for both registered nurses and the organisations they work for, when patients are cared for in ambulances waiting to access emergency departments.

The resolution comes at a time when, across all four countries, there are unprecedented ambulance handover delays with patients left in vehicles which are neither appropriately staffed nor resourced outside overwhelmed emergency departments. Despite the prolific nature of this practice, there is no clear guidance on accountability. Who is responsible for the care and safety of those patients - the ambulance service, the hospital, the emergency department, or the individual registered nurse providing care?

These delays accessing care and the lack of guidance on who is accountable for the waiting patients, compromises the ability of health care staff to provide good quality care and risks patient safety. It also exposes registered nurses and other health care professionals to professionally, ethically and legally ambiguous situations. It could also contribute to the crisis in nursing wellbeing, raising issues such as moral distress and professional, emotional and physical burnout. It may, therefore, also impact the already perilous recruitment and retention.'

Student nurses, paramedics ... please take note: There is a paper to be written on Hodges' model and the gaps we encounter in health and social care. For Brian Hodges this started with the theory-practice gap; one of four original stimuli for the creation of the model. 

As the idealised standards, quality and safety of care being delivered are surrendered; this gap stands out as the virtual keystone.

individual

|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

|

group

individual - PURPOSES patient safety - distress nurse wellbeing emotional burnout moral distress personal ethics individual responsibilities	procedure delivered care - observation mattress, trolley .. ambulance design instrumentation, noise time - duration logistics - PROCESSES - handover physical resources - beds
communities of PRACTICE team working - coherence team experience - students THE DAMAGE - that is 'BOOK-PASSING' The public's - carer's experience (wither friends and family)	law - guidance - ambiguity POLICY professional accountability risk management organisational responsibility workforce recruitment & retention

Previously: 'RCN' : 'gap' : 'accountability' : 4Ps

Moral injury: Individual - Collective: 'Global'

INDIVIDUAL

|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ----------------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

|

GLOBAL POPULATION

	A year ago, #COVID19 emerged & sparked a pandemic. Life-saving vaccines have been developed. What happens next is up to us. If we don't #ACTogether, the 🌍 is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure & the price will be paid with lives & livelihoods in the poorest countries. pic.twitter.com/QkriFnNfEC — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) January 18, 2021

Sources:

Several news sources.

Patient Safety Learning