President Salva Kiir relieved caretaker health minister Dr John Gai Yoh
President Salva Kiir relieved caretaker health minister Dr John Gai Yoh hours after reception party and tearful swearing-inIn a dramatic illustration of South Sudan’s volatile political landscape, a newly appointed cabinet minister was relieved of his duties late on October 1—just hours after delivering an emotional speech celebrating his appointment.Dr John Gai Yoh, a veteran diplomat, scholar, and former education minister, was appointed Caretaker Minister of Health via presidential decree on September 29 by President Salva Kiir and sworn in on September 30. By October 1, health officials, community elders, and government leaders gathered in Juba for an official reception party to welcome him to the role.During the event, medical leaders highlighted the acute crisis facing South Sudan’s health sector. Dr Rose A. Costa Mapuor, Chairperson of the South Sudan General Medical Council, spoke of unpaid health workers, critical drug shortages, and ongoing efforts to contain vaccine-derived polio near the Ethiopian border."Our health workers have not been receiving salaries for quite a long time," Mapuor said during the reception. "How will you regulate somebody whose stomach is empty and who is not being paid?"Addressing the audience, Dr Gai Yoh reflected on his long career, recounting how President Kiir had appointed him to nine different public roles over two decades—including ambassadorial posts and ministerial portfolios. He described becoming overwhelmed with emotion during his private swearing-in ceremony earlier that week."Yesterday, when I took oath, I was crying... I cried like a baby," Gai Yoh told attendees, pledging his absolute loyalty to the president and preparing for a brief three-month mandate ahead of planned national elections.However, late Thursday evening, October 1, a fresh presidential decree read on the state-owned South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) announced that President Kiir had relieved Dr Gai Yoh of his position with immediate effect and appointing his replacement Dak Doup Bichok.No official reason was provided for the swift dismissal, leaving observers and health officials in Juba astonished.
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