A major step forward in improving newborn healthcare in South Sudan was marked this week with the opening of a newly constructed 40-bed neonatal inpatient ward at Aweil State Hospital, launched by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in partnership with the Ministry of Health.
The modern facility replaces the hospital’s previously overcrowded neonatal ward and offers a safer, more spacious, and well-equipped environment to care for sick, premature, and low-birth-weight newborns.
Strategically located adjacent to the maternity unit, the ward allows easier access for mothers to provide Kangaroo Mother Care and breastfeeding—both vital to neonatal survival and development.
This is the only specialized neonatal ward in Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal State, filling a critical gap in newborn care by improving infection control, patient monitoring, and comfort for both babies and mothers.
MSF has supported pediatric and maternity services at Aweil State Hospital since 2008, focusing on improving access to quality healthcare for vulnerable families. In 2024 alone, MSF teams assisted in the delivery of more than 7,600 babies at the hospital.
The launch of the new neonatal ward underscores MSF’s continued commitment to strengthening maternal and child health in the region.