The program’s graduates have been and will be deployed to their respective state hospitals, county hospitals, and primary healthcare centers to bridge the gap between the high demand for skilled services and few available service providers.
45 nursing and 40 midwifery students were recruited and joined the college in August 2017.
Through the leadership of the MOH, Juba College of Nursing and Midwifery (JCONAM) has increased its annual intake from 60 to at least 80 students.
Stakeholders in nursing and midwifery education and services are undertaking the development of a bridge course for community/enrolled midwives to be accepted into JCONAM’s diploma training program with the ability to complete the course in less than 3 years.
JCONAM students in clinical practice continued to provide healthcare services at Juba Teaching Hospital (JTH) and primary healthcare centers within the city of Juba, bridging gaps in human resources and improving quality of care.
The two college tutors provided with Health eVillages preloaded tablets continued to do quick reference checks during lectures and clinical work, hence improving the quality of service delivery.
The two college tutors continued to supervise and mentor the nurses/midwives provided with Health eVillages preloaded tablets, which in turn has improved patient care in the facility, as healthcare professionals are able to do quick reference checks and provide health education using the devices.
The Diploma in Nursing and Midwifery curriculum approved by the Ministry of Health (MOH) is being used as a model document alongside JCONAM structures for replication in other states.
In addition to establishing other diploma institutes in South Sudan, the MOH is working on bilateral agreements with neighboring countries to send out qualified South Sudanese to train as nurses and midwives in order to establish a critical mass in the next 10 years.
Several years of experience derived from working with JCONAM and other partners has enabled RMF to develop a vision of increasing its level of support in South Sudan. By virtue of its registration and autonomy, RMF will seek to partner with organizations/agencies, and most importantly, government elements, in the areas of health systems strengthening and sustainable economic empowerment as witnessed in its projects in other countries.
South Sudan’s maternal mortality rate remains one of the highest in the world – 789 women per 100,000 live births. This means that 1 in 50 women will die from pregnancy-related causes, as compared to 1 in 4,900 in developed countries. Currently in South Sudan, only about 19% of deliveries take place at a health facility, and despite improvements, there is still a critical shortage of midwives throughout the country. Real Medicine Foundation initiated and co-founded South Sudan’s first-ever accredited college of nursing and midwifery with St. Mary’s Hospital Juba Link, Isle of Wight, and the college was established in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of South Sudan, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, WHO, CIDA, and the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and in partnership with and with financial support from World Children’s Fund.
173 students were fully sponsored for the three-year education program.
This includes the provision of school uniforms, books, stationery, tutors, and monthly allowances.