How can South Sudan develop a sustainable health informatics workforce?

Developing a sustainable health informatics workforce requires a multi-pronged approach: establishing health informatics programmes at South Sudanese universities; integrating health informatics into pre-service training for all health professionals; providing in-service training through SSHIA and other organisations; creating career pathways and incentives for health informatics professionals; and retaining trained professionals through competitive salaries and professional development opportunities. SSHIA is working with the University of Juba and other institutions to develop health informatics curricula.

International partnerships are also important for workforce development. SSHIA has partnerships with health informatics associations in Kenya, Uganda, and internationally that provide opportunities for South Sudanese professionals to access training, mentorship, and professional development resources that are not yet available locally. These partnerships are an important bridge while South Sudan builds its own health informatics education capacity.