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Juba: Al-Naeim Mubarak Kuol
Dominic Deng, Officer in the Ministry of Health’s Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention, expressed concerns about dependence on donors in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
In his conversation with Radio Tamazuj, Deng emphasized the impact of reliance on donors, lack of resources, and systemic gaps on the country’s ability to effectively combat HIV.
He added, “Reporting is delayed in these situations because we have to dispatch teams to manually gather and upload data.”
Dominic warned that efforts to fight the HIV epidemic at both local and international levels would be severely affected by inaccurate or incomplete statistics. He said, “We cannot mobilize resources or build evidence-based solutions without reliable data.”
He further stated, “For example, it is challenging to identify high-risk groups, such as female sex workers and men who have sex with men (MSM), due to gaps in data collection. This has led to misconceptions about their presence in South Sudan, hindering targeted preventive initiatives.”
Deng emphasized that, for long-term progress and to enhance program statistics, information derived from surveys like the AIDS Indicator Survey and household surveys is crucial. He said, “We cannot secure funding or deliver quality services without this information.”
