JUBA: South Sudan’s healthcare system has been so crippled by years of corruption that when a state governor experienced high blood pressure recently, he had to fly to Kenya for treatment.
Riek Gai Kok is the governor of Jonglei state, where conflict has once again exploded between government and opposition parties.
His trip to Nairobi was recounted by humanitarians as yet another example of how South Sudan’s elite, ranked the most corrupt in the world by Transparency International, have allowed services in the country to collapse.
While much of east Africa has seen improving health outcomes, South Sudan is going the other way despite receiving $1.4 billion in foreign aid in 2024.
As the country tips back into civil war between rival parties, what little health care exists is almost entirely through foreign donors, with more than 80 percent provided by NGOs like the International Committee of the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.
