Government pledges to improve deteriorating healthcare system

The government has pledged to recover the faltering healthcare system, said John Rumunu, the Director-General for Preventive Health Services during the graduation of the first batch of health officials trained at the South Sudan Public Health Institute.

“Things will not be the same again, our vision is a health and productive population in South Sudan living a dignified life, and for us to attain our vision, we have a big role to play, to ensure that we maintain our vision, we will ensure that we attain this vision,” said Rumunu.

“Our health policy has a mission improvement of the health status of the people by effective delivery of a basic package of health and nutrition services, let us be mindful of mission,” he said

Sudhir Bunga, the Country Representative for United States Centre for Disease Control said the country needs to work on improving the healthcare system, noting that the healthcare system needs qualified personnel with the right kind of enumeration.

“Today, health is not just a health issue, it is a national health security issue, we need good people, what do we mean by good people, we need the right people at the right place doing the right work with the right kind of remuneration,” said Bunga.

“Any public health response in the country whether it is a routine disease response, a routine program or an outbreak response, requires a good program, good system and good partnership in place,” he said.

Angok Gordon Kuol, the Director of South Sudan Public Health Institute said that the health needs qualified cadres, noting that the health system in the country lacks proper leadership.

“We believe if we have leaders in the right places much will be achieved particularly in the strengthening of the health system in this country, our problem in South Sudan,” said Kuol.

“When people talk of a weak system, it is not a system which is weak but we do not have leaders who are actually leading this system to make it perfect,” he said