* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
More than 300 people have been admitted to Juba Teaching Hospital and Juba Military Hospital over the past two days. The ICRC and the South Sudan Red Cross have delivered to the hospitals enough wound-dressing materials and other urgently needed medical supplies to treat up to 500 people.
"We know there are more people who need care, but they are having difficulty reaching health-care facilities because of the security situation and the lack of available transportation," said Felicity Gapes, an ICRC delegate who is leading the medical response on the ground. "Staff in both hospitals have been working around the clock, but they are struggling because of the sheer volume of patients and the severity of the injuries."
The ICRC is calling on the fighting parties to take all feasible precautions to minimize civilian casualties and to allow people to safely reach health-care facilities. The organization is closely monitoring needs. Together with the South Sudan Red Cross, it will take further action as the security situation permits.
For further information, please contact:Cynthia Lee, ICRC Juba, tel: +211 912 360 023, clee@icrc.org (in case mobile networks are not functioning)Sitara Jabeen, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 24 78 or +41 79 536 92 31
