By Yiep Joseph
Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) is advancing its initiative to establish a health insurance plan for journalists.
This week, UJOSS convened a meeting with media stakeholders, including media house managers, to discuss the proposed plan, as announced in a statement released to the media.
“The Union of Journalists of South Sudan on Monday (31st, March 2025) organized a breakfast meeting in Juba’s Crown Hotel in a bid to establish a health insurance unit for journalists in the country,” the statement partly read.
This initiative comes shortly after the untimely death of a prominent journalist and following a series of recurring fatalities among journalists in South Sudan.
During thorough deliberations, stakeholders proposed a shared responsibility model, where journalists would contribute while the Union would lead the efforts to mobilize resources.
“At the meeting, members proposed that each and every journalist in South Sudan will be paying an annual insurance subscription fee to enable them to get health insurance cards from an insurance company, which will have an agreement with the union,” the statement read.
After the breakfast meeting, media stakeholders recommended eight steps to successfully implement the plan.
These steps include UJOSS seeking additional funds to supplement the contributions made by journalists and ensuring that all journalists pay the agreed health insurance fees, among others.
Last month, UJOSS President Oyet Patrick called on media owners to provide health insurance for their journalists.
He made this appeal during a two-day media orientation workshop organized by the National Ministry of Health in collaboration with UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Our media houses should help us secure health insurance for our journalists,” Oyet urged. He emphasized that health insurance is a crucial benefit that media houses should offer.
“There is also a need for media houses to conduct annual health checkups for their journalists,” he added.
Oyet expressed concerns over the impact of health-related issues on journalists, revealing that the Union has lost three young journalists in the past six months alone.
He encouraged health experts to guide journalists in regularly monitoring their health.
Health insurance is a contract in which a company agrees to cover a portion of a consumer’s medical expenses.
For individuals and families, health insurance improves access to healthcare services and provides financial protection.