The Health Workforce Gap: A Barrier to Universal Health Coverage in South Sudan

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Health workers are the foundation of every health system. They provide essential health services and play a central role in ensuring that populations can access quality care when and where it is needed. The availability, distribution, and competencies of health workers directly influence service coverage, quality of care, and health outcomes across all levels of the health system. Drawing on emerging findings from the South Sudan Annual Health Sector Performance Report 2024/25 and the 2025 Health Statistical Abstract, this factsheet examines the status of the health workforce in South Sudan and its implications for health service delivery and health system performance.

Findings

South Sudan has fewer than one-fifth of the workforce density considered necessary for delivering essential health services. The workforce gap affects all levels of care and limits the health system’s ability to expand access, improve quality, and respond to emergencies. The national health workforce density of 7.9 health workers per 10,000 population reflects shortages across all professional cadres. At national level, nurses have the highest density at 1.14 per 10,000 population, followed by midwives (0.80), clinical officers (0.68), and laboratory technicians (0.35). Densities are low for medical officers (0.14), pharmacists (0.08), and public health officers (0.07).

The health system faces shortages in highly skilled cadres required for diagnosing, treating, and managing complex health conditions. While nurses, midwives, and clinical officers provide a good share of frontline service delivery, the low density of medical officers, pharmacists, laboratory personnel, and public health officers may constrain the availability and quality of essential services at hospital level and in underserved states.

These shortages occur within a health system where only 19.5% of births are attended by skilled health personnel, outpatient utilization at 0.78 visits per capita per year, and service readiness gaps across health facilities.

Source: https://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/health-workforce-gap-barrier-universal-health-coverage-south-sudan