22 August 2013 - A group of fifth-year students at Upper Nile University in Malakal are completing exams this week in two courses an UNMISS Indian battalion veterinarian taught them.

At the request of the university, Lt. Col. Dr. Venkatesh Kumar began teaching theory and practical courses in veterinary surgery and gynecology to the 16 students in May at a clinic he operates on the university grounds.

Upper Nile's College of Veterinary Science is the only institution to have such a facility co-located for clinical training in South Sudan.

"Various surgical operations like caesarean sections ... fracture management and castration are routinely performed at the hospital (Indian clinic) and we have immensely benefited from the facility," said final-year student Gatwech Pur Dup.

"I used to attend the clinical training at the (Indian) ... veterinary hospital even during semester breaks," he added. "We all have prepared well for the exams and hope to score very high marks."

Veterinary Professor Bol Deng Chol said Dr. Kumar had also provided learning software in seven subjects and prepared course notes for Animal Breeding and Genetics. "These will go a long way in increasing the teaching efficiency of our staff."

Dr. Kumar had taken on the load of a full-time lecturer in the faculty in addition to his commitments at the Indian veterinary clinic, noted Veterinary Faculty Dean Dr Samuel Akwoc Abba. "The students and the entire veterinary faculty are indebted to him ... for this kind gesture, which has come at a time when we are grappling with a severe shortage of teaching staff."

The Indian veterinarian also treats 60-80 cases daily and conducts Veterinary Aid Camps in the area. Mass deworming and deticking are carried out free of cost in remote inaccessible areas.

Veterinary camps are conducted in areas identified by the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries and on request from the state or counties. Livestock owners throng the camps to avail their benefits.