By William Madouk
As the newly appointed Caretaker Minister of Health, he inherits a ministry responsible for the lives and well-being of millions of people — but one facing a shortage of money, gaps in health services and a growing threat of disease outbreaks.
His welcome ceremony was filled with congratulations, but behind the warm words was a clear warning about the difficult task ahead.
“The biggest challenge when you are coming, when people say it’s a difficult time, is because there is no money,” Undersecretary Dr Oromo Francis told the new minister.
“And we need money from you; I can just say that short. Bring us money so that we can excel in what we are planning and what we are trying to do.”
That message may have summed up Bishiok’s biggest challenge.
Without enough funding, officials say it will be difficult to turn those plans into better services for ordinary South Sudanese.
A minister arrives with a big task
Bichiok was appointed Caretaker National Minister of Health by President Salva Kiir. He previously served as the Minister of Public Service as well as Minister of Petroleum.
Taking the podium for the first time as Minister of Health, he thanked the President for trusting him with the responsibility.
“It is a great privilege and honour to stand before you today as I assume the responsibility of leading the Ministry of Health,” Bichiok said.
“I accept this responsibility with humanity, commitment and a strong sense of duty to serve the people of South Sudan.”
He promised to work with the ministry’s senior management, health workers and international partners.
Bichiok said the ministry must protect citizens and ensure that quality healthcare reaches people across the country.
“The challenges facing the health sector are so demanding, but they are not beyond our collective capacity to address them as one family,” he said.
It is a confident start. But the problems waiting for him are not small.
Undersecretary Francis said the country has not done enough to improve healthcare, particularly outside major towns.
“I have moved, traveled to some states and in reality, not enough has been done,” he said. “And for us to achieve that, we need funding.”
The ministry depends heavily on health partners, but Francis said even some available partner funding has been difficult to unlock because of South Sudan’s inability to meet its own commitments.
“And our partners have really put some money on the table. But then we have not even committed ourselves,” he said.
He said some partners had decided to divert money to other programmes because the government could not provide its share.
That leaves the new minister with a difficult task: finding more resources while convincing partners to continue investing in South Sudan’s health system.
Francis believes Bichiok’s political experience could help.
“We need your leadership diplomacy. Your political diplomacy. Your health diplomacy,” he said.
Ebola is another warning
While money is one crisis, disease preparedness is another.
South Sudan is strengthening its readiness for a possible Ebola outbreak as cases and suspected cases continue to raise concern in the region.
Dr Moses Ongom, representing the World Health Organization, said the Ministry of Health and its partners are working to strengthen preparedness while continuing to provide essential health services.
But he warned that this work is taking place amid “declining external funding and limited domestic funding for the health sector.”
The message to Bichiok was direct.
“We are counting on you, Honorable Minister, to advocate for and mobilize additional funding for the health sector,” Ongom said.
The Africa CDC also urged the country to remain alert.
Dr Tolbert, the organisation’s Country Director, said two suspected Ebola cases had recently been investigated in South Sudan.
The samples were quickly transported to Juba and tested at the National Public Health Institute reference laboratory. Both came back negative.
“As of this time I’m speaking, there is no confirmed Ebola case in South Sudan,” Tolbert said. “So no need to be panicking, but the system is doing exactly what it is supposed to do.”
He said the rapid response demonstrated that South Sudan can detect, investigate and test suspected cases quickly.
But he stressed that the country must continue strengthening surveillance, laboratories and infection prevention.
A health crisis beyond Ebola
For many South Sudanese, the biggest health problems are not outbreaks; they are everyday problems.
A mother struggling to reach a health facility, a newborn needing urgent care and a survivor of violence carrying trauma that cannot be seen.
Adeng Malual, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare, urged Bichiok to pay attention to these challenges.
“Our people have endured conflict, displacement, loss, and violence. Some wounds are visible, many are not,” she said.
She identified mental health and psychosocial support, maternal and newborn health, and access to services in remote areas as major priorities.
“We cannot build an equitable health system while essential services remain concentrated in urban centers, and communities elsewhere struggle for hours or days to obtain basic care,” Malual said.
She called for stronger primary healthcare, outreach and mobile services, community health workers, referral systems and supplies of essential medicines.
The politics of running a ministry
Bichiok also received another warning: the ministry will test his ability to make difficult decisions.
Ms. Malual cautioned him about the people who may approach him with complaints and gossip about other officials.
“When you come into the ministry, the first thing that happens… is that people will come with gossip,” she said. “This person has done this. This person has done this.”
Her advice was to rely on evidence and the ministry’s records rather than rumours.
“The record of the ministry is the most important thing that you should rely on,” she said.
She also urged him to choose people based on skills and experience rather than simply bringing people from his own community.
“In many ministries, you see a minister coming in from the community. The whole ministry is the whole community. And this does not work,” she said.
Partners are watching
International health partners say they are ready to work with Bichiok.
Ongom, a WHO representative, said the partner community remains committed to supporting South Sudan.
“No single entity can solve systemic health challenges in South Sudan alone,” he said.
He promised continued support for programmes aimed at protecting lives, strengthening health services and improving public health.
The Africa CDC also pledged support in disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, infection prevention and control.
For Bichiok, that partnership could be critical as he tries to manage a ministry with enormous needs and limited resources.
‘I do not come to work alone.’ Bichiok says he understands that he cannot solve the problems alone.
“As I assume this responsibility, I do not come with the intention of working alone,” he said. “I come to work with you, to listen to you, to support you and to hold ourselves collectively accountable for the results we deliver.”
He called on ministry staff to take ownership of the national health agenda, strengthen institutions and use resources responsibly.
He also promised to keep his office open.
“My office door is open to every staff member, and I encourage all of you to feel free to approach me with your concerns, ideas and suggestions in health-related programs,” he said.
The crisis waiting on his desk
Bichiok’s appointment comes as South Sudan goes through a wider political transition, meaning his time in office could be limited.
But the health problems confronting the country will not disappear when the political transition ends.
The ministry needs money; it needs medicines and equipment and stronger health facilities outside Juba.
Similarly, it needs to remain ready for Ebola and other disease outbreaks. That is the crisis waiting for Bichiok.
He has promised leadership, teamwork and commitment.
But the question now is whether those promises can be turned into real services for the people who need them most. Bichiok himself put the urgency in simple words: “Their health cannot wait.”