New Country Member – Welcoming South Sudan to the JLN Family
Officially known as the Republic of South Sudan, it is Africa’s youngest nation, having gained independence on 9 July 2011. It became a full member of the East African Community on 5 September 2016, making it one of the eight member states. South Sudan is a landlocked country with an estimated population of 14.7 million (2023) spread across 619,745 km². While English is the official language, Arabic and indigenous languages such as Dinka, Nuer, Bari, Zande, and Shilluk are widely spoken.
The government is steadfastly committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and has made significant progress over the years. Their vision is a nation where all individuals, regardless of socioeconomic status, can access quality healthcare without financial hardship. With support from the WHO and other partners, the Ministry of Health is actively rolling out the Boma Health Initiative (BHI). This initiative aims to deliver a free and quality health package of care to communities, especially in hard-to-reach areas lacking health services.
Post-conflict, the ministry is dedicated to strengthening its health system through policy development, multi-stakeholder coordination, and capacity building to establish a resilient healthcare system. Collaboration with other government bodies, NGOs, and international organizations is crucial in defining a roadmap for UHC and addressing systemic challenges such as limited healthcare infrastructure, inadequate funding, and workforce shortages.
Furthermore, the government has expressed its commitment to providing the necessary leadership to significantly decrease maternal and child mortality. The focus is on three (3) UHC priority areas:
- Expanding Access to Primary Healthcare: Strengthening community-based health systems to ensure essential services reach remote and marginalized populations.
- Health Financing: Developing sustainable financing mechanisms, such as pooled funding and insurance schemes, to reduce out-of-pocket expenditures and enhance affordability.
- Workforce Development: Building a trained healthcare workforce by investing in education, training programs, and retention strategies for health professionals.
As South Sudan joins the JLN family, it aims to leverage JLN’s expertise and resources for designing a UHC roadmap tailored to South Sudan’s needs, fostering partnerships that provide technical and financial support for health system strengthening, and sharing South Sudan’s early experiences in UHC implementation to contribute to collective knowledge.
Immediate areas of learning include:
- Understanding Health Financing Models: Exploring practical approaches to designing and implementing equitable healthcare financing mechanisms suitable for low-resource settings.
- Strengthening Service Delivery: Learning strategies to scale up primary healthcare services and integrate innovative technologies for healthcare access.
- Policy and Governance: Gaining insights into effective policy frameworks and governance structures for UHC implementation.
Please join us in welcoming the Republic of South Sudan to the JLN family!