A senior official of South Sudan’s ruling party, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), has played down concerns over the potential closure of donor-funded rural hospitals, suggesting communities could rely on traditional medicine.
Speaking on March 12, 2026, during a three-day SPLM Conference in Juba, the party’s Secretary-General, Dr. Akol Paul Kordit, said rural communities had historically survived without formal healthcare facilities.
Kordit made the remarks while referring to concerns raised by international partners about the withdrawal of foreign funding for health services. He cited his own recovery from malaria in the late 1990s using traditional herbal remedies in a village near Maridi in Western Equatoria State. He argued that communities had long shown resilience without modern hospitals.
The comments come as South Sudan’s Ministry of Health plans to withdraw support from more than 100 health facilities due to funding shortfalls in donor-backed programmes. Health experts warn the cuts could worsen maternal and child health outcomes in a country already facing one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates.
During the conference, Kordit also apologised for the suffering caused by the civil war that erupted in 2013, describing it as a power struggle within the SPLM leadership, and urged unity ahead of national elections expected in December 2026.