UNICEF Trains South Sudan Health Workers in Digital Mapping for Better Care

(Juba) – Nearly 100 health professionals from 20 counties across four states in South Sudan have completed a specialized training in digital Geographic Information System (GIS) tools aimed at improving the country’s primary health care services.

The training was supported by UNICEF South Sudan and funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. The program focused on enhancing the participants’ capacity to collect and validate health data using GIS technology.

These skills are expected to play a role in strengthening health systems across the country by improving the planning, monitoring, and delivery of services at the community level.

The training brought together staff from a wide range of locations and health institutions. According to UNICEF South Sudan, the use of digital mapping tools in health care is a transformative step toward building stronger health systems that are responsive to community needs.

GIS, or Geographic Information System, is a digital tool that allows users to visualize, analyze, and interpret data based on location.

In the context of health care, it helps decision makers identify where services are most needed, track disease outbreaks, monitor access to facilities and respond more efficiently to emergencies.

UNICEF noted that strengthening data systems is critical to improving primary health care, especially in rural and underserved areas of South Sudan, where services remain limited and infrastructure is weak.

The initiative aims to close the gap in health service delivery and support evidence based decision making by training health workers to collect accurate and up-to-date data.

The support of the Japanese government was acknowledged as vital to the success of the initiative. UNICEF extended its thanks to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its contribution, which made the digital training sessions possible.

South Sudan’s health system faces multiple challenges, including limited resources, shortages of trained personnel, and geographic barriers that hinder service access.

In this context, equipping local health workers with digital skills can help optimize the limited resources available and ensure that they are used where they are most needed.

Digital innovation is increasingly seen as a cost effective and scalable solution as South Sudan works toward more resilient and equitable health care systems.

The training is expected to be followed by continued support and monitoring to ensure that the newly acquired skills are applied in real-world settings across the participating counties.

UNICEF emphasized that building local capacity and integrating technology into health care will remain central to its approach in South Sudan.