{"id":45792,"date":"2026-06-22T12:25:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T10:25:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/?p=45792"},"modified":"2026-07-01T12:49:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T10:49:07","slug":"opinion-university-of-juba-should-own-a-clinic-or-university-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/22\/opinion-university-of-juba-should-own-a-clinic-or-university-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"OPINION: University of Juba should own a clinic or university hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"

Writer: Engr. Maker Mangol Acien Yuol<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The University of Juba, South Sudan\u2019s premier centre of higher learning, must urgently prioritise the health and well-being of its students and staff by establishing an on-campus clinic and laying a clear roadmap toward a teaching hospital.<\/p>\n

A modest, well-planned clinic would deliver immediate medical care, strengthen clinical training for health science students, and extend essential services to the surrounding community.<\/p>\n

Some years ago, Vice Chancellor Prof. John Akec Apuruot advocated for Juba Teaching Hospital to be integrated into the university. That vision remains important, but the more practical and immediate step is for the university itself to establish a clinic or teaching hospital within its grounds\u2014funded if leadership makes it a priority.<\/p>\n

Currently, students and staff who fall ill must travel off campus for care, a delay that worsens outcomes and disrupts learning and work. An on-campus clinic would provide timely primary care, emergency triage, maternal and child health services, mental-health support, and basic laboratory and pharmacy services. Faster access to care means fewer class interruptions, reduced absenteeism, and a safer campus environment.<\/p>\n

Across the region, universities in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda operate their own hospitals or clinics, ensuring that the health needs of students, staff, and surrounding communities are met. The University of Juba should not lag.<\/p>\n

Beyond immediate treatment, a campus clinic would serve as a living laboratory. Medical, nursing, and allied health students require supervised, practical experience to complement classroom learning.<\/p>\n

A functioning clinic enables hands-on training in patient assessment, basic procedures, public-health outreach, and record-keeping\u2014skills essential for producing competent health professionals to meet South Sudan\u2019s pressing needs.<\/p>\n

A clinic would also strengthen the university\u2019s role in the wider Juba community. By offering affordable primary care and preventive services, the university could ease pressure on overcrowded public facilities and build local health resilience.<\/p>\n

Partnerships with NGOs, government agencies, and international donors could provide technical support, training, and seed funding to get the clinic operational quickly.<\/p>\n

I respectfully call on Prof. John Akec Apuruot, Vice Chancellor of the University of Juba, to table this project for inclusion in the next university budget.<\/p>\n

The case for action is simple: healthy students learn better, healthy staff work more effectively, and a campus that cares for its people strengthens the university\u2019s mission. The University of Juba has the leadership, the talent, and the community mandate to make this vision a reality. With focused planning and modest investment, a campus clinic can be up and running within months\u2014laying the foundation for a future teaching hospital.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About the Author<\/em><\/p>\n

Engr. Maker Mangol Acien Yuol is a civil engineer, opinion writer, and leader based in Juba. He holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Civil Technology, BCT, from the Federal TVT Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is pursuing a Master of Science (MSc) in geotechnical engineering at the University of Juba. Geotechnical engineering is the branch of civil engineering concerned with the behaviour of soil, rock, and groundwater and how they interact with structures built on, in, or from them. He writes on geotechnical safety, sustainable infrastructure, youth development, leadership, and other issues affecting South Sudan. He can be reached at makermangolacien@gmail.com<\/strong> for verification or comments.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Disclaimer:<\/strong> Any opinion published on our platforms does not represent our view or position.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Writer: Engr. Maker Mangol Acien Yuol The University of Juba, South Sudan\u2019s premier centre of higher learning, must urgently prioritise the health and well-being of its students and staff by establishing an on-campus clinic and laying a clear roadmap toward a teaching hospital. A modest, well-planned clinic would deliver immediate[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":45314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,90,154,119,80,87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-columnists","category-commentary","category-education-2","category-health-2","category-national","category-oped"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/By-Engr.-Maker-Mangol-Acien-Yuol.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45792"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45795,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45792\/revisions\/45795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onecitizendaily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}