Juba, South Sudan – 5th DEC 2025.
The South Sudan Health Summit 2025 concluded under the auspices of H.E. Josephine Joseph Lagu, Vice President of the Republic and Chair of the Service Cluster, and Hon. Sarah Cleto Rial, Minister of Health. Over four days, government officials, civil society (CSOs) representatives, and development partners convened to assess the state of health service delivery and chart a path toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
During the closing ceremony, Peter Garang Ngor, Executive Director, NASOSS highlighted the persistent challenges affecting the nation’s health sector while commending leadership and innovative initiatives launched during the summit.
“The summit has served as a critical platform for reflection and problem-solving. We have openly confronted realities such as stock-outs, non-functional facilities, delayed salaries for health workers, supply chain weaknesses, and the human barriers of stigma and discrimination,” He said.
Key initiatives highlighted during the summit include:
- Minister’s Initiative for Enhanced Maternal and Newborn Health, supporting 23 vital health facilities.
- High Burden, High Impact Initiatives targeting the most pressing health challenges in the country.
The speech issued a clear call for action from all stakeholders:
Key Calls to Action
- Strengthen Primary Health Care and Community-Level Services – prioritizing community-level delivery to achieve Universal Health Coverage(UHC).
- Increase Domestic Health Financing – aim for the Abuja Declaration benchmark of 15% budget allocation, introduce innovative financing mechanisms, and establish a transparent National Health Insurance Scheme.
- Build Accountable Systems – eliminate counterproductive financial policies and ensure timely release of incentives.
- End Stigma and Discrimination – champion inclusive health campaigns and policies.
- Turn Plans into Action – develop concrete, time-bound action plans to implement summit recommendations.
“We have the blueprints. We have the resolve. We have the commitments. What we need now… is not another report, but a collective, relentless commitment to:
ACTION! ACTION! ACTION