Southern Sudan
After decades of strife, Southern Sudan has become an autonomous region of Sudan. Many of Southern Sudan’s people are returning from years of dislocation, and there is an urgent need to rebuild a health system decimated by years of unrest.
While the country has relatively low HIV prevalence, the need for strong prevention programs is critical as soldiers are demobilized, displaced residents return home and travel, trade and labor migration increase. To address this concern, the Southern Sudanese Ministry of Health has joined with IntraHealth and other NGOs to establish HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs within the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). This work is now expanding to other uniformed cadres, including the police, firemen, forestry managers, and prison officials.
IntraHealth is also working with the Ministry to hire and manage Southern Sudan’s health workforce. To accomplish these goals IntraHealth is conducting an assessment of current human resources capacity, helping to develop an effective human resources management policy and operational system for the Ministry, strengthening the country’s human resources information system and fostering leadership development.
Our efforts are:
- Providing logistical support to help return 15 Sudanese-born doctors to the region
- Establishing counseling and testing centers at army bases
- Training counselors and providers of testing services (15, as of August 2007)*
- Testing 671 men and women for HIV/AIDS
- Training military officers to educate soldiers about HIV/AIDS (27, as of August 2007)*
- Supporting local NGOs that offer referral treatment and care for HIV positive clients
Our current work in Southern Sudan is through the IntraHealth-led Capacity Project and the Reducing the Impact of HIV Project.
More information on IntraHealth's work in Southern Sudan can be downloaded here.
Donor/Projects: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Reduce the Impact of HIV Project), USAID (Capacity Project), UNHCR ( The Provision of Prevention and Awareness Services among Uniformed Cadres in the Fight against HIV/AIDS in Southern Sudan)
Partners, Reduce the Impact of HIV Project: The Sudanese People’s Liberation Army, Merlin (Medical Emergency Relief International, a UK-based health services organization) and the International Medical Corps
Partners, Capacity Project: IMA World Health, Liverpool Associates in Tropical Health, Management Sciences for Health
Selected health statistics for Southern Sudan: Due to Southern Sudan’s recent history, we have not been able to find reliable demographic data. As soon as this data comes available this page will be updated.
* Figures from the Reduce the Impact of HIV/AIDS in Southern Sudan Quarterly Report, July 2007