Vice President Abdelbagi addresses health stakeholders in Juba. (Photo: Charles Wote)

Health officials in South Sudan are meeting in Juba to discuss the status of the health sector ahead of a new multi-donor project due to replace the Health Pooled Fund.

The three-year Health Sector Transformation Project expected to kick off in July shall be financed by the government and a group of donors.

These include the US Agency for Internal Development, World Health Organization, World Bank, UNICEF, Canada, and GAVI.

Other partners including the Global Fund, European Union, Health Pooled Fund, and UKAID, shall channel the fund through the multi-donors Trust fund which will finance the 3-year project.

The total funding for the new initiative known as the Health Sector Transformation Project, due to start in July is projected at 157 million US dollars yearly.

According to the government, the project shall transform the current health system into a harmonized and coordinated government-led system.

It aims to restructure governance, monitoring, reporting, and implementation processes for more effective and unified health service delivery across the country.

“It is a new project that will be giving health services for the nation for the next 3 years,” said Dr. Ader Macar, Undersecretary of the National Ministry of Health.

“This will be replacing the Health Pooled Fund (HPF) which will be ending on the 30th of June this year. And it [Health Sector Transformation Project] will be kicking off on the 21^st of July.”

According to the health ministry, the new project with an annual allocation of 157 million US dollars shall cover 1,158 health facilities in the ten states and three administrative areas.

It shall help run a sustainable healthcare system with increased government investment in the health sector.

This is to deliver equitable essential health services, strengthen the health system, and consolidate partnerships to achieve the country’s universal agenda.

In his opening remarks, Vice President for Service Cluster Hussein Abdelbagi Akol emphasized the need to empower and build the capacity of healthcare workers in the country.

“I wish to emphasize the urgent need to support health workers capacity, especially in the field of Nursing, laboratory technology, radiology, imaging and pharmacology,” said the vice president.

“The project must not only focus on consumable supplies but also offer capacity in technical practices that compliment medical dispensation.”

Abdelbagi also appeals to donor countries who have cut their budget towards the health sector to reconsider their decision.

“I understand some donors completely pull out while the remaining one reduces their budgetary allocation to our healthcare service whatever the reasons are I appeal to them to reconsider their decision.”