What are the challenges of health data governance in South Sudan?

The main challenges include: lack of a comprehensive national health data governance policy; fragmented data systems managed by different organisations with different standards; limited capacity for data security and privacy protection; unclear data ownership and sharing agreements between the government and implementing partners; and insufficient enforcement of data quality standards. SSHIA is working with the Ministry of Health and partners to develop a national health data governance framework that addresses these challenges.

Data sovereignty is an important issue in South Sudan. Much of the health data collected in the country is stored on servers outside South Sudan, managed by international organisations. This raises questions about who owns the data, who can access it, and what happens to it when a programme ends. SSHIA advocates for data sovereignty policies that ensure South Sudan retains control over its health data.