By Agar Mayor Gai-Makoon

The lingering question in the mind of lay citizens has always been why critical government institutions have failed to deliver on their mandate. And they have always found their answer in the whims of war and division. But now that the country is slightly experiencing relative peace and stability, the burning question is, are the respective institutions such as the health sector on course or cost? This is not just a common question. But one that seeks to uncover the unseen failures and weakness of institutions while also trying to redefine the direction of the country’s institutional know-how.

The ministry of health for example, has been crippled and overly dysfunctional. However, the blame goes to the prevalent conflicts in the country, which have reduced health funding and instead, directed huge resources to the security sector. While the rationale of this reduction was to bring security, order and stability, the exact opposite actually happened. The insecurity continued to increase and the social services that were left at the mercy of development partners were also unable to handle the increasing burdens and responsibility. Simply put, the South Sudan government did not understand that there could be no security without service delivery, and that this particular failure is insecurity in itself, rather than a mere cause.

I was impressed by the statement made by the Hon. Benjamin Malek Alier, the chairperson on specialized committee for Health and Population in our legislative assembly, that health is a security issue. Truly, a breakdown in health services delivery is a security concern because there is no way that peace and stability can be realized without service delivery. In fact, the easiest way of attaining peace and stability is making sure that citizens have proper healthcare services, good schools and infrastructure. So, this year has come a time that the ministry of health, and health line committees in parliament and beyond have to push for enough and reasonable share of funding as the new fiscal year’s budget deliberation is in the pipeline. Policy makers must be made aware of the immense role that delivery of services can play in the pursuit of peace and stability.

Therefore, whether the health sector is on course or cost is a question that only time can truly define. For instance, in the recent months, the ministry of health has launched many policies including the National Nutrition Policy, and National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance. The policies on nutrition and the use of antibiotics are aimed at improving health through proper feeding habits and effective use of antibiotics. The sector has also been able to roll out measles vaccine and cholera vaccine with the target of controlling the spread of cholera in this rainy season. Additionally, installation of a 24-hour solar power in our major hospitals and other health facilities including the national public health laboratory and the national ministry of health offices.

Finally, from my own analysis, I have seen that the development partners like the United Nations Development Program are more than willing to always stand with the ministry of health. It is upon the ministry of health to sincerely embrace this commitment from the partners while also engaging other health line groups like the parliamentary specialized committee on health and population, on matters of health importance. All in all, these recent undertakings are a visible proof that the South Sudan health sector is on course. It is well written everywhere across health domains. Perhaps, this should be a message to anyone that when you do something, whether bad or good, everyone notices it. The recent strides from the health sector, ranging from swift control of the cholera outbreak (though it had initially been ignored), to providing specific frameworks on the proper use of antibiotic drugs and nutrition, are a testament that health institution can really do well for the South Sudanese. All that we have to do is doing more and better every day. Let us never rest, for that gives microbes the opportunity to reorganize themselves and fight back harder.

The writer has a background in sociopolitical philosophy. He currently studies medicine at Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. He can be reached on +201129107334, or thieng.thiengwada@gmail.com.