The Minister of Health, Elizabeth Achuei, at the launch of the call center in Juba on May 14, 2020 | Credit | UNDP South Sudan.

The Minister of Health has defended her appointment into the docket calling on the public not to politicize the fight to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Elizabeth Achuei says addressing the pandemic requires the collaboration of everyone and not just an individual.

Her remarks follow recent criticism from senior SPLM leaders over how she is handling the coronavirus response efforts.

“Don’t bring politics to life [matters], because this disease doesn’t know politics,” Ms Achuei argues.

An alleged nurse, she is an appointee of the SPLM-IO who was decreed into the Transitional Government by President Salva Kiir in February, following her nomination by Dr. Riek Machar.

But her public presentation of facts surrounding the virus, lack of a scientific strategy to reduce the spread of the virus have come under strong scrutiny.

The Doctors’ Union have criticized her ministry for allowing coronavirus patients to self-quarantine from homes and failing to advise the presidency against lifting the lockdown restrictions.

Ms Achuei recently insisted that the coronavirus situation is “not as bad as people hear.”

But South Sudan currently has 1,755 confirmed cases, with 30 registered deaths and 58 recoveries.

The increase in the number of cases in the country has been blamed on the ministry’s “poor response” to curb the virus.

Senior SPLM leaders like Daniel Awet Akot – who held many positions in the government – have described her as incompetent and blamed Dr. Riek Machar for her appointment.

Awet, whose performance is also questionable – called for the appointment of a more qualified individual, preferably within the ranks of the SPLM.

But in her defense, Ms Achuei said fighting the virus pandemic does not require a political appointee.

“It doesn’t know whether you are a politician or not, it’s our [enemy] all of us,” she stressed.

“And by the way, doctors are not supposed to be politicians but work to save lives. This is because you are a lifesaver.”

But a new coronavirus case study by a Hong Kong-based firm has identified South Sudan as the world’s most dangerous country to live in during a pandemic.

It said the political institutions and leaders do not have the executing capacity to establish adequate national emergency plans.

The report also notes that South Sudan at present is unable to quickly react to any crisis, has no high levels of emergency preparedness, quarantine efficiency and doesn’t have a resilient economy to withstand the impact of the pandemic.