Heath and Acting Gender Minister Sarah Cleto|Courtesy

The National Ministry of Health today announced that South Sudan will host the 2025 Health Summit in Juba from December 2nd to 5th, aimed at evaluating progress in the sector and building national consensus on improving health outcomes.

The summit, themed “Transforming Health Systems for Equity, Resilience, and Impact,” will bring together leaders and stakeholders from across government, development partners, and the health sector.

Discussions will center on the Health Sector Strategic Plan 2023–2027, with a focus on identifying gaps and strengthening systems nationwide.

The gathering comes as South Sudan continues to fall far below the continental target for financing health services.

In 2001, African Union member states committed to allocating at least 15 percent of their annual national budgets to health under the Abuja Declaration — a commitment reaffirmed by African leaders as recently as February 2023.
However, South Sudan’s current allocation remains at about 1.3 percent, far short of the benchmark.

She reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to expanding access to quality care, improving governance, and ensuring that no South Sudanese is left behind.

Health Minister Sarah Cleto Rial thanked President Salva Kiir Mayardit for what she described as his crucial guidance in efforts to strengthen South Sudan’s health sector.

The Minister says the summit will also prioritize stronger multi-sectoral coordination to build a robust, efficient, and sustainable health system for the country.