Review Article : Scaling up human resources for health in South Sudan: A strategic imperative for achieving universal health coverage

South Sudan remains critically underserved in its health workforce, with only 7.6 skilled health workers per 10,000 population—far below the WHOrecommended threshold of 45.5 needed to attain Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This commentary outlines the strategic efforts, led by the Ministry of Health, to close this gap through investments in health worker training, specialist education, and systems strengthening. Over 1,000 mid-level health professionals graduate annually from 37 national training institutes, out of which the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) supports 13. In parallel, international postgraduate training programmes in Ethiopia and other countries are building a source of specialised cadres in priority disciplines. To sustain momentum, the Ministry has developed a 10-year Human Resources for Health (HRH) Strategic Plan focused on legislation, education, governance, and retention. Achieving UHC by 2035 will require doubling current training capacity and securing greater financial and technical commitment. This article calls on government leadership and partner alignment to ensure South Sudan builds a resilient, skilled, and equitably distributed health workforce to meet the health needs of her people.