Health professionals have called on the Government of South Sudan to significantly increase funding for the health sector, particularly sexual and reproductive health.
The call was made during a two-day conference organized by the Association of Gynecologists and Obstetricians of South Sudan (AGOSS). Dr. Zacharia Malel, the AGOSS president, said the needs of women and girls have long been neglected in the country’s health priorities.
“Our role as an association is to advocate for the rights and well-being of women in this country. We are doing so, and we will not fear anything,” he stated. “Whatever belongs to women should be given to them because they have suffered so much in this country.”
For her part, Dr. Adut Jervas of the South Sudan Doctors’ Union appealed to the National Legislature to increase the allocation for the national health in line with continental commitments.
“We call upon parliament to align the national budget with the Abuja Declaration, and we request the finance ministry to faithfully implement it,” she said.
The Abuja Declaration, adopted in 2001, commits African Union member states to channel at least 15 percent of their national budgets to health to strengthen weak systems and improve service delivery.
Meanwhile, Dr. Benjamin Malek Alier, the chairperson of the Health Technical Committee at the Transitional Legislative Assembly, expressed hope that there will be an improvement in the next financial year.
“Our government, especially the Ministry of Finance, has really been sensitized enough, and I hope this time the health budget will be increased,” he said.
On Friday, the Council of Ministers approved a 7 trillion South Sudanese Pound budget for the 2025/2026 financial year. It remains unclear how much of this will be allocated to health, but last year only 1.3 percent of the national budget went to the sector.