HIV infections on the rise in South Sudan amidst inadequate funding

By Simon Deng   

HIV infections are on the rise among South Sudanese and yet the government isn’t funding initiatives to curtail it, commission dealing with the disease is inadequately funded, Achol Ayom, the Deputy chairperson for HIV commission said.

Plans to deal with the virus has solely been left with nongovernmental organisations, Ayom said in an interview in the capital Juba.

“You cannot put the health of your people in the hands of organisations, now organizations are not funding prevention and prevention is the key, the government has to fund HIV prevention,” she said.   

South Sudan’s health sector is deemed to be one of the poorest in the world.

A crisis that broke out in 2013 has worsened the situation by destroying the sector further.

According to her, statistics in the country still maintain that 190,000 people are living with HIV, a figure she said is not correct.

Ayom said insecurity across the country has prevented health services from reaching the remote parts, and that HIV is increasing as a result of ignorance.   

“We have a problem in South Sudan, you could see in Shirikat, in Yirol, in Bor, HIV is increasing,” she said.

“We need HIV to be funded well,” she said.