10/08/2025
An Urgent National Concern: The Rising Cases of Miscarriages in Juba and Beyond
By Evaluna Arek Dok
As a concerned citizen, I feel compelled to raise an issue that has been silently affecting many families in recent years, one that is not just medical, but also social, and potentially national in impact.
In recent years, there has been a worrying increase in cases of miscarriages, especially in our urban areas like Juba. In the past, our mothers and grandmothers in the villages engaged in heavy daily work like fetching water from long distances, tending to gardens, grinding sorghum, and performing other physically demanding tasks and yet most carried their pregnancies to term and gave birth without complication.
Today, the situation is starkly different. Many women in the city struggle first to conceive, often requiring medical assistance, and once pregnant, they are advised to avoid even minor physical exertion to prevent miscarriage. While rest sometimes helps, in many cases, the pregnancy is still lost.
Hospitals, particularly the Obstetrics and Gynecology units, are often full of women facing this painful reality. Alarmingly, it sometimes feels as though the number of stillbirths and miscarriages could be approaching the number of healthy births.
This raises urgent questions:
1. Water Safety: Could the water from the River Nile, which is consumed by the entire city, be insufficiently treated, chlorinated, or protected from contamination?
2. Food Quality: Could the maize flour and other imported foods contain harmful substances or lack vital nutrients essential for pregnancy health?
3. Medical Interventions: Are the injections and medications given to pregnant women fully safe, tested, and appropriate for our population?
4. Environmental Pollution: Is there contamination in the air we breathe, from dust, fuel emissions, or industrial waste — that could be affecting reproductive health?
5. Pharmaceutical Safety: Are the drugs available in our markets properly regulated and safe for expectant mothers?
Key Additional Questions for Authorities and Experts:
• Has any scientific study been conducted in South Sudan to determine the primary causes of this rise in miscarriages and stillbirths?
• If research exists, can it be made public so citizens can understand the findings?
• If not, can the Ministry of Health and relevant medical institutions urgently commission such research?
• Can public health awareness campaigns be launched to help women understand and prevent possible risk factors?
• Are there policy gaps in food and drug regulation, environmental safety, or water treatment that need urgent attention?
As Paulo Coelho once wrote:
“Whatever affects one person affects all humanity. One man’s suffering is the suffering of all humanity. What happens to someone today might happen to you tomorrow, because the Earth is our home.”
This is not just a women’s issue, it is a national issue. The future of our country depends on healthy mothers and healthy children. I therefore urge our leaders, health professionals, researchers, and every citizen to treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves. Let us unite in patriotism and in humanity to identify the causes, address them, and ensure that every mother has the chance to bring life safely into this world.
The Writer is a concerned citizen.
