Project profile — Health Pooled Fund in South Sudan - 2013-2016

The project`s ultimate outcome is: Government-led health systems that save lives. The expected intermediate outcomes include: 1) increased access to quality primary health services by South Sudanese, particularly for maternal and child health; and 2) government management of health services, particularly for maternal and child health, is strengthened and more responsive to the health needs of South Sudanese. The immediate outcomes include: 1) improved coverage and quality of service delivery, particularly for maternal and child health services, at health facilities in 40 counties of six targeted states; 2) strengthened community ownership and participation, particularly by women; and 3) improving the capacity of the Governement of South Soudan Ministry of Health at national, state and county levels to increasingly take over responsibility for health service delivery.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (March 2016) include: (1) the percentage of children under one year old vaccinated with the third dose of DPT (diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus) increased from 20 to 50.7 percent; (2) outpatient consultation (curative and preventive) of children under five increased from 729,386 to 1.8 million; (3) the percentage of women who completed four antenatal care visits increased from 19 to 30 percent; (4) the number of deliveries in a facility by a skilled birth attendant increased from 9,000 to over 25,000; (5) the number of facilities providing comprehensive and basic emergency obstetric and neonatal care increased from 3 to 20 hospitals; (6) the Human Resources Information System, a database meant to keep records on health personnel for planning and staffing purposes, was implemented in 92.3% of counties, compared to 0% at the start of the project; (7) all 39 County Health Departments taking part in the Health Pooled Fund (HPF) created annual operation plans in partnership with the HPF implementing partners; and (8) 686 primary health care facilities were supported to deliver healthcare, including 19 hospitals, across the 39 counties in the six target states. Overall, the Health Pooled Fund made significant achievements in health service expansion and utilization, with 5.7 million people reached with healthcare by mid-2015 (approximately half the population). Despite difficulties caused by the conflict that erupted in South Sudan in December 2013, the HPF has been successful in increasing access to health services and improving Government of South Sudan management of health services.