Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The Ministry of Health has urged state authorities to mobilize local resources, strengthen oversight, and guarantee the safety of health workers following the withdrawal of World Bank support from 101 health facilities across South Sudan.
The support was provided under the Health Sector Transformation Project (HSTP) 2024–2027, which seeks to transition the country’s health system from emergency response to a sustainable service delivery model.
Speaking during a press conference in Juba, Minister of Health Sarah Cleto Rial said the government must acknowledge current fiscal realities and take responsibility for sustaining health services.
“The government must confront current fiscal realities,” Minister Cleto said. “Global economic pressures, funding gaps, and a comprehensive project review require us to align our resources to ensure that the HSTP remains viable through June 2027.”
She confirmed that support will be withdrawn from 101 health facilities that were assessed as having low functionality, security challenges, or close proximity to other supported facilities.
“As part of this adjustment, support will be withdrawn from 101 health facilities,” she said. “Six hospitals will scale down selected non-core services to concentrate resources on life-saving care.”
Minister Cleto added that administrative expenditure and in-service training costs will be reduced so that limited funding is directed toward critical needs.
“Administrative expenditure and in-service training costs will be reduced so that limited funds are prioritized for medicines, frontline health workers, and direct patient care,” she said, stressing that the decisions were “not taken lightly.”
Dr. Harriet Akello Pasquale, Director General for International Health and Coordination, said the Ministry applied careful criteria to avoid disrupting essential services.
“We decided collectively to develop criteria on how to utilize the limited resources available without creating major disruption in health services,” Dr. Pasquale said.
She explained that some facilities were underutilized due to accessibility challenges.
“There are health facilities that are really underutilized because people cannot access them,” she said. “Continuing to pay incentives to health workers and deliver drugs to such facilities was not cost-effective.”
Meanwhile, Chairperson of the National Transitional Legislative Assembly’s Specialized Committee on Health and Population, Benjamin Malek, said the national health budget remains critically low.
“The health sector allocation stands at only 1.3 percent,” Malek said, emphasizing the need to increase domestic funding in light of global financial shocks.
In her closing remarks, Minister Cleto called on state governments to take an active role in supporting affected facilities.
“We call upon state authorities to mobilize local resources and partnerships to support facilities no longer covered under HSTP,” she said. “We also urge stronger oversight by county health departments and cooperation with security actors to guarantee the safety of health workers.”
Despite the withdrawal of donor support, the Ministry of Health emphasized that essential medicines, frontline health workers, and emergency services will continue as the government works to build a resilient and sustainable health system.
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