Contact: USAID Press Office, 202-712-4320, Public Information, 202-712-4810

WASHINGTON, April 17 /Standard Newswire/ -- The U.S. Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funded a recently opened expansion of the Juba Teaching Hospital in Sudan. Built at the request of the Government of Southern Sudan, the new extension will allow the hospital to respond to a dramatic increase in demand for health services due to the influx of residents returning to the city since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005.

Since Juba was named the capital of Southern Sudan, the Juba Teaching Hospital has become the referral hospital for that area of the country, admitting an average of 1,500 patients a month. The spike in demand has in turn, consistently overwhelmed the 500-bed facility, where dozens of patients had to be treated on the veranda leading to the emergency ward every day.

In order to help the facility respond to the increased demand, USAID, through its partner, Development Alternatives Inc., issued a grant to the Sudan Ministry of Housing and Construction to build a new wing for the hospital. The extension, which was also furnished and equipped with USAID funding, has doubled the emergency ward's available space to 200 beds, and will help ensure that emergency patients can be accommodated in appropriate facilities. In addition, USAID supported the construction of a new set of bathrooms, which will allow hospital staff to ensure an adequate level of cleanliness and reduce the spread of disease among patients.

Sudan is the U.S. government's highest priority in sub-Saharan Africa. In fiscal year 2006, USAID assistance to Sudan totaled $708 million. Through integrated humanitarian and reconstruction programs, USAID is helping the Sudanese people avert and resolve conflict while promoting stability, recovery, and democratic reform. This strategy emphasizes investment in community development and essential services to reduce tensions, rebuild communities, and encourage and sustain the return of displaced people. Support focuses on education, health care, governance, roads, and transport services.

For more information about our programs in Sudan, please visit: www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/countries/sudan/index.html.