Mothers and babies aged between 0 and 5 years are lining up in Al Sabah Children Hospital waiting for the measles vaccine, Vitamin A and deworming

A health official has said that despite their official titles and positions, health officials in South Sudan have been forced into “professional begging” for donor funds — a practice he says must stop as the country takes responsibility for its health sector.

“When you come and find us in the office, seated with my friend and even at the table with a tie and a coat, and maybe an AC with a funny title called Director General. We are busy writing proposals. We feel comfortable that we are doing our job.

“But honestly speaking, we are also bagging. We are being pushed to be professional beggars.  Use their language, and this is what they want. We need to recognize that it is also begging.

“The way we are being treated shows that we are begging. And I came to realize that the most difficult job to do in this world is begging, which we must stop.  We need to rise and take responsibility.”

Dr. Kediende Chong, Director General for Preventive Health Services, made the remarks at the launch of the nationwide vaccination campaign against pneumonia and diarrhea diseases in Juba yesterday.

Dr Chong acknowledged the donor support, however,  he said the negotiation process is humiliating, especially in co-financing the health sector.

The Director General for Preventive Health Services and Emergency Response at the National Ministry of Health, Dr. Kediende Chong, stressed the need for increased collective investment in the health sector.

“I want to say this frankly, we have never been proud of being dependent on donor funding. It’s only that human beings do not want to accept reality. When we say these are donors, the engagement we normally go through with them is quite painful.

“At times, we feel a lot of humiliation in the process, especially when the co-financing, when we are not putting something on the table. And we sometimes feel very comfortable with it, simply because we are human,” he added.

In September 2000, 189 heads of state adopted the Millennium Declaration, designed to improve social and economic conditions in the world’s poorest countries by 2015.

Subsequently, most countries have not met their commitment to the Abuja Declaration of allocating 15% of their annual budgets to health.

However, Dr. Kediende is calling on South Sudan’s government, private sectors, and communities to invest in the health sector to avoid overreliance on donors.

In comparison to other East African countries like Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania,

South Sudan’s Ministry of Health receives a significantly lower budget allocation for the health sector.

The 2024-2025 national budget allocated 1.7 percent, with donors calling on the government to invest more in the sector.