Assessing Health Care Access and Disparities in South Sudan: A UDHR Perspective

Abstract

The UDHR is a crucial document that upholds the right to health, mainly in the African region. During the pandemic and post-pandemic eras, it was possible to explore healthcare access, vaccination distribution, and pandemic preparedness as key indicators of adherence to the fundamental principles that are important to promote equitable healthcare access for African citizens. However, the problem revolves around understanding the significant challenges due to the lack of basic facilities in countries such as South Sudan. Even though some states have made progress, the right to healthcare access still has certain disparities in South Sudan. Thus, the main aim of this study is to assess the issues countries face when adhering to the UDHR‟s right to health in South Sudan. Furthermore, this study also looks forward to evaluating healthcare access improvements aiming to reduce disparities in South Sudan. This study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative research methods. It primarily relies on secondary data from government reports of South Sudan, and academic studies and would be analyzed using content analysis methods. This research provides outcomes that depicts South Sudan‟s adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights' right to health varies significantly, with some areas demonstrating a stronger commitment to equitable healthcare access and pandemic preparedness than others. It also indicated that rural and marginalized communities often experiencing limited access to essential healthcare services, exacerbating existing health inequalities. Yet this study has limitations, as the data is only available up to a certain cut-off date, and the diverse nature of the South Sudan has not been covered in a nuanced manner. The significance of this is crucial, as it provides insights for policymakers, international organizations, and stakeholders in designing targeted strategies to promote equitable healthcare access.