At least 60 nurses and midwives from all over South Sudan welcomed the launch of their national association, the first of its kind following the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
The major objective of the association is to strengthen the capacity of nurses and midwives in controlling maternal mortality rate in the soon to be new nation.
Dr. Olivia Lomoru, an official in the GoSS ministry of health, said the association comes at a time when the region looks forward to its independence.
The UNFPA says in a report that South Sudan has only 19 registered midwives out of an estimated 100 operating in health facilities all over the region.
Janet Michael is the director of Nursing and Midwifery and one of the few registered midwives.
She told SCR News that her job is a challenge due to the wide gap between the skilled and un-skilled midwives.
She revealed that less deaths are experienced when a registered midwife is on duty.
Barjok Dut, a nurse in Northern Bahr-El Ghazal state, said some of the nurses in his area are not paid adding that even some cleaners are promoted as nurse.
The success of such an association will be vital for a new state since only 10 percent of deliveries in south Sudan are attended by skilled birth attendants and 40 percent of mothers do not receive any ante-natal care.