Politics Aside, Lives Matter: A Call for Unity in South Sudan’s Health Sector
South Sudan Flag
By Agar Mayor Gai-Makoon, Cairo, Egypt
Tuesday, 10 June 2025 (PW) – These times; branded with cholera outbreaks, conflicts that have endangered health infrastructure, and a fragile healthcare system are the most critical for the ministry of health. The fact that the ministry remained without a minister for many months made the health situation even worse for the civil population.
Today, there is a new leader, and I want to categorically appreciate the leadership of R-TGoNU for overcoming all odds and blocks in the agreement to appoint a minister in the health docket. I also wish to congratulate the new minister, Hon. Sarah Cleto Rial, for her new role in the health sector. Having been a governor of Western Bahr el Ghazal state before, I can personally trust that you are well aware of the many challenges facing our nation. Thus, you might be the solution that our president has always been looking for.
The sad news for you is that you won’t rest, for the people of South Sudan expect you to promptly deal with the cholera plague that has so far killed thousands of people, build a healthcare system that’s both patient-centered and protect the rights of health personnel. They expect your leadership to bridge the health funding gaps that the Trump administration has created. They expect you to push for implementation of the health sector transformation project (HSTP) that duly supports increased domestic funding for the South Sudan health sector.
Since December 2013, the leadership of Salva Kiir Mayardit has prioritized and directed huge funds to the security sector, neglecting more critical sectors like health in the process. Now, it’s time to change that trend because there is a sense of aversion of war that can be noticed among South Sudanese over the recent years.
Perhaps, empowering and funding critical sectors like health can actually cement that hatred for war and allow hard work, competence and development be the new conflict—progressive and healthy conflict for that matter. I bet no one is going to lose in this new conflict. It will be a win for all South Sudanese.
I call upon you, the new minister of health, Hon. Sarah Cleto to lead the health sector as the commanding officer in this new war of progress and development. You showed your willingness to lead this war when you accepted the appointment amidst the political chaos in the SPLM-IO. It is a commendable gesture because the citizens do not care about political parties. They are concerned rather with what you have to do for them. Do it for them and now is the most appropriate time.
The health ministry is more like a team. In order to serve the people well, all the departments and their policies must align with the overall national health policy. So, it is important for the staff in all the departments of our ministry to embrace cooperation and achieve a resilient and results-oriented healthcare system. Party politics have no place in the health sector.
Perhaps, I call upon our undersecretary, departmental directors, and all the staff in the ministry of health to fully cooperate and support the new minister of health. By cooperating with the new leader, you are not only fulfilling work guidelines but also allowing progress and commendable service to the South Sudanese. A politically divided institution does not achieve anything. And this is why politics must never thrive in institutions like health.
The ministry of health should be a beacon of hope to the South Sudanese people because the policies that this docket undertakes affects the lives of people directly. The new minister and the team at the ministry must be that hope by doing the following:
Identify health priority areas and fully engage the donor agencies to help in implementing them
Implement the HSTP
Inaugurate and empower the county hospitals and PHCCS that were upgraded last year
Implement the national health policy 2016-2026
Review the functions and laws of all Health-related bodies and associations in South Sudan
Establish a close link with our faculties of medicine, public health and pharmacy in all our universities
Orient the health desk of their role in the parliament
Assess and rebuild the health centers that have been destroyed by the conflict in Ulang, Nasir and other counties
Establish new measures to control the cholera outbreak in this rainy season
Forge links with other sectors for instance such as the ministry of Water and Irrigation and the ministry of Environment in order to promote health and well-being
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