The Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Ministry of health has ordered private clinics and pharmacies operating within the state to immediately begin registering within a period of one month with the South Sudan Medical Council.

On Thursday the State Health Minister Tong Deng met with owners of private clinics and pharmacies operating in the state to discuss delivery of health services in collaboration with the state health ministry.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj after the meeting, Minister Tong Deng stated that “Those who will not comply with this order will see their businesses closed after a period of one month without compromise.”

Some owners of clinics and pharmacies criticized the requirements and deadlines imposed on them by the ministerial order. They said that it would be too expensive to go to Juba in order to fulfill the process of registration.

“The South Sudan Medical Council in Juba should extend its duties to Northern Bahr el Ghazal state and even other states which may allow such activities to be easy,” said one owner.

Dr. Awach Awach, the owner of a private clinic in Aweil, said “The time given is not enough for the process to finish up and once the clinics failed to register are closed, people in the state will have big problems because many of them are helped by the clinics and pharmacies, the reason being that Aweil Civil Hospital has poor hygiene and always lacks medicines.”

According to the state health ministry, 98% of private clinics and pharmacies in the state are unregistered.