International medical charity Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) on Tuesday decried violence and destruction of medical facilities in South Sudan which it said are denying medical services to the most vulnerable people.
The charity said in a report that hospitals have been ransacked in the towns of Bor, Malakal, Bentiu, Nasir and Leer, often during periods of heavy fighting.
"Because of this crisis we lost track of many of our patients, some of whom may have died if they could not access ongoing treatment," MSF Medical Coordinator Dr. Muhammed Shoaib told a news conference in Nairobi.
South Sudan faced its toughest crisis as political infighting between President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar turned into a full-fledged conflict between the Dinka and Nuer communities in mid-December 2013.
The crisis has uprooted some 1.5 million people and placed more than 7 million at risk of hunger and disease, according to the UN.
It also sent nearly 100,000 civilians fleeing to UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) bases around the country, leading the mission to take the unprecedented decision to open its doors to those seeking protection.