Mid-term Evaluation of Boma Health Initiative (BHI) in South Sudan (2019 - 2021)
Enhancing and strengthening the health structure in South Sudan
Highlights
As per the World Health Organization, every human has the right to access healthcare without financial hindrances irrespective of where they reside. That being said, access to healthcare services for people residing in South Sudan has proven to be an ongoing struggle. About 44 per cent of the population lives more than 5 kilometres distant from a health facility (WHO Africa, 2018), which hinders their access to healthcare services. Moreover, majority of the healthcare services are funded by large international NGOs and donor organizations as the government only spends 2% of the national budget on healthcare (Health Pooled Fund, 2020). Data reveals that the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in the country is comparatively high, and children, especially those under the age of five, have poor health and nutritional status. Additionally, epidemics, natural disasters, coupled with diseases both communicable and non-communicable have further crippled the healthcare system. Furthermore, the conditions of the individuals and communities of South Sudan are rendered worse by the lack of infrastructure, health facilities, health workers, energy, water, and sanitation facilities as well as security issues.
Against this background, the Boma Health Initiative (BHI) was launched in 2017, as a government strategy for enhancing and strengthening the health structure, especially at the community level and hard to access areas. The Ministry of Health along with other partners organizations such as United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Health Pooled Fund (HPF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Momentum, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB), South Sudan Red Cross, Swiss Red Cross, Canadian Red cross and other implementing partners having been working together with the goal of providing accessible and free health packages to the communities across numerous Payams and Bomas in South Sudan with a special focus on hard-to-access areas.
