Central Bank declines request to amend MOH account details

Trouble is looming at the Ministry of Health after the Bank of South Sudan trashed a request from the Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health Dr Samson Paul Baba to be added as a signatory to the ministry’s account.

Dr Baba had written the Central Bank to be included in the list of signatories to the ministry’s account following the suspension of his predecessor Dr Victoria Anib Majur.

But in a letter dated October 27, 202, and addressed to Acting Undersecretary Dr Samson Paul by the First Deputy Governor for Policy and Banking of Bank of South Sudan, Johnny Ohisa Damlan, to the acting Undersecretary of Health to channel his request to the ministry of finance and planning which has the absolute mandate to effect such changes.   

“I kindly requesting you to write directly to the Ministry of Finance and Planning requesting for the changed of signatories to be effected as per the standard procedures,” said Ohisa in the letter seen by The City Review yesterday.

 “Please, Acting Undersecretary, accept the assurance of our highest regards and consideration,” he added.   

Conflicts

The conflict in the Minister of Health has hit its highest levels in the past few weeks after the Vice President for Service Cluster Hussein Abdelbagi directed Majur to “conduct all the necessary changes in the management of the Juba Teaching Hospital that may assist in finding an amicable solution to the ongoing crisis at that institution.”

As a consequence, Majur made reassignments touching on the directors and the director generals at the ministry only for the minister to revoke the reappointments in Ministerial Order No 22/2021 terming them illegal.

Further, on October 19, Minister Acuei issued a ministerial order suspending Dr Majur and replacing her forthwith with Dr Samson Paul Baba who will serve in an acting capacity.

The minister also ordered the formation of a disciplinary board following the provisions of the Civil Service Act and Regulations to investigate the ordered restructuring that she rescinded and ordered the report to be tabled before her in 90 days.

Although the order was issued on October 19, Dr Majur’s suspension came a few days after the Vice President for Service Cluster Hussein Abdelbagi and Acuei differed on proposed managerial changes at the Juba Teach Hospital (JTH).

Last week President Salva Kiir had directed the Advisor on National Security and Chairman of the National Transitional Committee Tut Gatluak to address the stalemate at the Ministry of Health to avoid possible paralysis of health services.

This was after the doctors appealed for the president’s intervention in the matter, expressing fears that the situation would paralyse the institutions of health. On Tuesday, Acuei issued another memo urging the stakeholders in the health sector to deal with the acting undersecretary as she emphasised that Majur was serving her suspension in accordance with her ministerial order.