Al Sabbah Hospital Opens Doors for Paediatric Training

(JUBA) – Healthcare professionals across South Sudan are being called to a weekly training session on the management of severe acute malnutrition, a life threatening condition that remains a leading cause of child deaths in the country.

The session is organised by the South Sudan Paediatric Association and will take place on Friday, 3 July 2026, at Al Sabbah Hospital in Juba. It runs from 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM and will use an interactive case based lecture format with guided discussion.

Severe acute malnutrition affects infants and children under five years of age. It is marked by severe wasting, nutritional oedema, or a very low mid upper arm circumference.

The condition weakens the immune system, increases the risk of infections, delays growth and development, and can lead to death if not treated quickly. Effective management requires early identification, stabilisation, nutritional rehabilitation, treatment of complications, and proper follow up according to national and World Health Organization guidelines.

The session will be facilitated by Dr. Georgett Laki, a registrar, and supervised by Dr. Joel Taban, a paediatrician. The target audience includes paediatricians, medical doctors, house officers, clinical officers, nurses, midwives, pharmacologists and medical students.

By the end of the session, participants are expected to be able to define severe acute malnutrition and describe its diagnostic criteria, identify clinical features and complications, classify children into uncomplicated and complicated cases, describe principles of inpatient and outpatient management, apply the ten step approach to managing complicated cases, recognise the importance of nutritional rehabilitation and micronutrient supplementation, and counsel caregivers on proper infant and young child feeding practices and prevention of malnutrition.

The South Sudan Paediatric Association holds these regular continuing medical education sessions every Friday at Al Sabbah Hospital, covering high impact paediatric topics to support clinical excellence. The association stated it is working to build stronger health systems for South Sudan’s children.