South Sudan’s Health Ministry has received an oxygen plant including two vehicles and three isolation centers from the World Health Organization (WHO) through funding from the African Development Bank. 

The oxygen plant was installed using the $4.3 million approved by African Development Bank to South Sudan through WHO in June 2020.

As part of the response activities, the African Development Bank (AfDB) through WHO procured and installed the first-ever oxygen generation plant in Juba, procured vehicles, and renovated three isolation facilities in Wau, Yei, and Nimule to support the ongoing COVID-19 response.

Speaking during the occasion in Juba on Wednesday, South Sudan’s Minister of Health, Elizabeth Achuei said: “The installation of the Oxygen plant is good news to the country and the people of South Sudan and marks the beginning of the country’s preparedness for oxygen generation. South Sudan will no longer be importing oxygen from the neighboring countries and this means that oxygen will be supplied to the facilities.” 

For his part, the AFDB Country Manager in South Sudan, Benedict Sorie Kanu the 4.2 million dollars was meant to strengthen the health system in South Sudan.

“The 4.2 million dollars grant which was approved in June 2020 was designed to help the government strengthen the health architecture which has been challenged by years of so many factors. The $980,000 dollars health and oxygen generation plant is a watershed in our efforts to strengthen the health system in this country to make sure we are better prepared for covid-19 and indeed other health emergencies,” he said.

“In June 2020 as part of the covid-19 response the African Development bank provided a grant of 4.2 million dollars to the government of South Sudan through WHO to support the covid-19 response through strengthening the health system. Through this grant, WHO has procured the oxygen plant which many of us have seen today and we have made the health ministry know how it works,” WHO Country representative Dr. Fabian NdenZako explained.

The WHO says it has trained 10 biomedical engineers to operate the plant.

The AfDB says it has so far donated 220 million dollars since 2012 to South Sudan.

To increase South Sudan's capacity to contain and respond to COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, the Ministry of Health with funding from the European Union through WHO has also established a PCR molecular laboratory in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal.