CHW &Community &Funding &Human Resources &Maternal Health Bill Brieger | 17 Apr 2025 12:01 pm
Expanding the Boma Health Initiative (BHI) in South Sudan
As part of the work for the Johns Hopkins University course on Social and Behavioral Foundations of Primary Health Care, posted in the class blog about a community-based health initiative in South Sudan as seen below.
South Sudan continues to experience high maternal and child mortality rates, limited healthcare access, and a shortage of trained professionals. The Boma Health Initiative (BHI) is a community-based healthcare program that trains and deploys Community Health Workers (CHWs) to deliver maternal care, immunizations, and disease management in underserved areas. While promising, BHI faces funding instability, supply shortages, and a lack of standardized training and supervision. To ensure sustainable impact, I strongly advocate for increased financial investment in CHW’s training as a priority policy goal.
For this policy to succeed, we must engage key stakeholders strategically. World Health Organization (WHO) – Department of Health Systems Governance & Financing. WHO supports community-based health models and can provide technical and financial resources. Advocacy Approach: Partner with WHO to champion CHW training through reports, policy dialogues, and media engagement.
South Sudan’s Ministry of Health (MoH) – Directorate of Community Health Services. As the lead health agency, MoH oversees BHI implementation and CHW workforce management. The advocacy approach should push for MoH to allocate domestic funding for CHW training, ensuring sustainability beyond donor reliance.
The World Bank’s Human Development Practice Group funds health initiatives but has not directly committed to BHI. Advocacy approaches include presenting cost-effectiveness evidence to secure investment in CHW training programs.
Some physicians from the South Sudan Doctor’s Association (SSDA) fear CHWs will replace trained professionals, while others support task-sharing. Advocacy approaches include collaborating with SSDA to define CHW roles, ensuring they complement rather than replace professional healthcare providers.
In order to expand BHI and improve CHW training, I urge the South Sudanese government to commit long-term funding. Partners, including WHO and World Bank need to invest in capacity-building initiatives. Finally the SSDA must support CHWs as a critical part of the healthcare system.