AWEIL – South Sudan’s Minister of Health, Sarah Cleto Rial, has visited Northern Bahr el Ghazal State to assess the quality of services and identify challenges at Madhol Field Hospital, a facility built by the government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The modern 100-bed facility was inaugurated in March 2025. It is located in Aweil East County, about 64 kilometers south of the Sudanese border, and is expected to provide essential healthcare services to a wide population in the region.
Madhol Field Hospital is designed to accommodate major departments such as emergency care, intensive care, and specialized treatment units. It is projected to serve approximately two million South Sudanese, alongside 300,000 returnees, 15,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), and 20,000 refugees fleeing conflict in Sudan.
Speaking upon arrival in Aweil on Wednesday, Cleto said her visit aimed to evaluate the hospital’s operational capacity and determine its official classification within the country’s health system.
“Our main purpose is to assess the level of services provided by the Madhol Field Hospital and to identify what level of hospital it is — whether it’s a county hospital, a PHCC, a PHCU, a state hospital, or a national hospital,” she explained.
The minister emphasized her ministry’s commitment to strengthening collaboration and coordination with state authorities to enhance healthcare delivery.
“We have to come and see for ourselves, then go back to Juba and prepare a report of what we’ve observed. The most important part of improving health services is to work together and coordinate our efforts,” she added.
The minister also procured medicines and medical supplies for the Aweil State Hospital, which will be delivered directly to the facility.
For his part, Simon Ober Mawut, the Governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, welcomed the minister’s visit and described it as a critical step toward improving health services in the state.
“Since the inauguration of Madhol Field Hospital, there has never been any delegation from Juba. We discussed with the minister the key health challenges facing our state and the need to strengthen essential services for our communities,” Mawut said.
He reaffirmed his government’s readiness to collaborate with the national Ministry of Health and partners to ensure the sustainability and improvement of healthcare in the state.
“We thank the minister and her delegation for making this important visit, and we remain committed to working together to improve health services for our people,” he concluded.
