South Sudan’s government is to host a national health summit in December amid growing pressure on its health system from a decline in international donor funding.
Health Minister Sarah Cleto Hassan announced the 2-5 December summit, warning that 85% of the country’s health system is funded by external partners and that recent cuts are “impacting our services”.
The health system is also facing disease outbreaks and climate-related emergencies.
The summit aims to bring together officials and experts to find a way forward.
“The summit will help us identify gaps, explore opportunities and reach national consensus on the way forward,” Minister Cleto told a press conference in Juba on Wednesday.
She said the gathering would review the sector’s performance and assess progress under the government’s Health Sector Strategic Plan.
The theme of the summit is “Transforming Health Systems for Equity, Resilience and Impact.”
South Sudan’s health sector, like many other government services, has been heavily reliant on international aid since the country gained independence in 2011 following a long civil war.
The minister expressed concern that this funding stream was now shrinking, posing a risk to essential services.
In response to a question, Cleto confirmed that the national budget recently endorsed by the Council of Ministers allocates just 1.3% of total spending to the health sector.
This figure is significantly below the 15% target member states of the African Union, including South Sudan, pledged to allocate to health in the 2001 Abuja Declaration.
The minister said official budget figures would be made public once it is tabled before the National Assembly.
She added that the ministry was working with partners to ensure the continued provision of health services despite the financial strain.