After decades of war, severe shortages of health infrastructure and qualified medical professionals in South Sudan present major challenges to developing a good healthcare system in the worlds newest nation.

In a bid to address the healthcare skills gap in the country, MSF introduced the MSF Academy for Healthcare. The learning program aims to strengthen the skills and competencies of frontline healthcare workers and impact positively on the quality of care provided in MSF hospitals and health centres.

“MSF Academy is an intersectional initiative which was set up to strengthen the skills and capacities of project teams when it comes to provision of healthcare,” said Serviour Dombojena, the Country Representative for MSF Academy for Healthcare in South Sudan. “In the end, not only is the quality of care improved, but we also have teams that remain in the project – in the communities – who are able to carry on providing health care, even in the event of MSF stopping their activities in that place.”

On the 10th June 2022, the first cohort of 35 nursing students in Old Fangak, Jonglei State, have graduated from the MSF Academy for Healthcare after completing 18 months of nursing care training.

Established in 2019, with the support of the South Sudan Ministry of Health, MSF Academy’s training programmes are based on three pillars: competency-based curriculums, workplace training and clinical mentoring. The programme has been rolled out in Boma, Lankien, Maban, Maruwa, Old Fangak, Pibor, and Abyei Administrative Area.

Currently, there are 205 students enrolled in basic curriculum for nursing care, and 7 in out-patient department curriculum, who are set to graduate next year.