By Gladys Fred Kole
Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Dr. Martin Elia Lomuro, has appointed 18 members to the South Sudan General Medical Council.
The appointments were disclosed in Ministerial Order No. SSGMC-2/2023 dated June 22, that No. 1 Citizen Daily Newspaper has seen.
South Sudan General Medical Council (SSGMC) is a self-governing body responsible for registration and regulation of medical, dental, and pharmaceutical professions, as well as health institutions and services in the country.
On January 25, 2023, the national minister of health forwarded a list of 19 specialist medical doctors, to endorse their appointment as members of the SSGMC.
The members of the country’s medical council represent medical doctors’ union, societies, specializations, colleges, and associations, respectively.
Upon the background, the minister of cabinet affairs issued his ministerial order on Thursday appointing the 18 members to the South Sudan General Medical Council.
The 18 council members appointed consist of 2 pediatricians, 1 orthopedic surgeon, 2 surgeons, 3 registered practitioners, 1 obstetrician, 1 physician, 2 dentists, 3 pharmacists, and 3 medical doctors.
South Sudan’s pediatrics and child health society associate, Dr. Rose Ajak, was appointed as the new chairperson, and the orthopedic and trauma society’s member, Dr. James Alphose, as the deputy chair.
Some of the appointees are; Isaac Cleto Hassan of the surgeon association of South Sudan; Kenneth Lado, the dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Juba; Thomas Madil, the dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Bar El Ghazal; Simon Deng Nychar, the Dean of medicine at Upper Nile University; Justin Bruno Tongun of the pediatrics and child health society; and Changkel Banat Riek of the association of pathologists.
Others include Garang Dakjur of the Association of Gynecologists and Obstetricians, Ruoth Garjek Teny of the physicians’ association, Atim Sheril Atim of the Dentists’ society, Yang Liep Charow, Achwanyo Ezekiel, and Abdallah Majok of the pharmaceutical society.
The council further encompasses Anwar Zakaria Jaden Marjan, Lucy Vero Pai Theophilis of the dentists’ union, Achol Marial, a member of the specialized committee on health and HIV at parliament (R-TNLA), and Monywiir Arop as the new general secretary, with yet another person waiting to be appointed.
“The appointment of the above-listed members is effective immediately”, the order stated.
The South Sudan General Medical Council was established through the SSGMC Provisional Order, 2014, issued by H.E. General Salva Kiir Mayardit, President of the Republic of South Sudan, on April 10, 2014.
The 18 members of the board were eventually sworn in seven months later, in November of the same year.