Feature: Chinese doctors ease treatment burden of displaced family in South Sudan

Joseph Maker Gordon (2nd R), his wife Nyanchuor Kiir Guem (2nd L) and his son Ngok Joseph Maker (1st R) pose for a photo with a member of a Chinese medical team at Juba Teaching Hospital in Juba, South Sudan, on Jan. 13, 2022. Joseph Maker Gordon, a 59-year-old minister in a local church in Juba who fled conflict from his hometown of Malakal in Upper Nile state in 2014 to Juba, is now grateful to Chinese doctors who treated his family members with complicated ailments. (Photo by Denis Elamu/Xinhua)

JUBA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A South Sudanese man, who fled conflict from his hometown of Malakal in Upper Nile state in 2014 to the capital Juba, is now grateful to Chinese medical doctors who treated his family members with complicated ailments.

Joseph Maker Gordon, a 59-year-old minister in a local church in Juba, was recently in pain after developing hemorrhoids under the skin around his anus and underwent surgical operation which did not go well as he continued to release blood in his stool.

To compound matters, his aging wife Nyanchuor Kiir Guem had chest and breast pain (mastalgia) while his 22-year-old son Ngok Joseph Maker needed an operation after suffering a cartilage piercing bump.

Gordon told Xinhua on Thursday that the 9th batch of Chinese medical team has eased the burden of treating his family after the trio were successfully examined and provided with proper treatment at the Juba Teaching Hospital.

"We came to Juba teaching hospital to visit Chinese doctors, my son was having pain in his ear and they managed to do the operation without consultation charges," he said after being examined following his operation two weeks back.

Gordon was operated on in a health facility outside Juba Teaching Hospital, but he continued to experience bleeding amid pain while releasing his stool.

"I personally came for hemorrhoid treatment, the operation was done late last year, they (Chinese) managed to stop the bleeding, and they said their role is to help patients as part of bilateral relations with South Sudan," he disclosed.

The 15-member medical team arrived in the country from Anhui Province in September last year.

"I call on South Sudanese who cannot afford medical costs in private health facilities to come to the Chinese, they have done several operations," added Gordon.

He expressed further relief after Chinese doctors assured him of a follow-up of his wife's medical recovery, noting that they also promised to operate Guem if the need arises.

Gordon, who underwent a successful operation on his ear last week by a team of Chinese doctors, said he had been enduring severe pain since 2019.

"The swelling in my ear started after piercing my ear with the needle in 2019. It was operated on in 2020 but the pain continued. I was again this year operated on at Juba Teaching Hospital," said Joseph who is now relieved of the pain.

Ding Zhen, general surgeon and team leader of the Chinese medical team who treated the family, said they will monitor Gordon's family.

He noted that Guem suffered pain in her chest and breast for five years.

"We will follow up with her (Guem) case to ensure she is totally healed of her pain," said Ding.

However, Gordon noted the need to support Chinese doctors in the translation of local languages in order to ease their communication with patients in need of their services.

"We have a problem with language, their work is practical but they need translators to pass the message to patients so that they can understand, their services, especially minor operations that I witnessed, are very good," he said. 

Ngok Joseph Maker (2nd R), Joseph Maker Gordon's son, poses for a photo with members of a Chinese medical team at Juba Teaching Hospital in Juba, South Sudan, on Jan. 6, 2022. Joseph Maker Gordon, a 59-year-old minister in a local church in Juba who fled conflict from his hometown of Malakal in Upper Nile state in 2014 to Juba, is now grateful to Chinese doctors who treated his family members with complicated ailments. (Photo by Denis Elamu/Xinhua)