South Sudan Cabinet approves Nurses and Midwives bill

JUBA – The South Sudan’s Council of Ministers on Friday approved the Nurses and Midwives Bill 2025, aimed at regulating the healthcare sector and enhancing maternal health services throughout the country.

The proposed legislation is designed to modernise professional standards, strengthen institutional oversight, and ensure higher-quality care for patients, particularly mothers and newborns.

The bill was presented by Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Michael Makuei Lueth to the cabinet, chaired by President Salva Kiir Mayardit.

Speaking to media after weekly meeting in Juba, Ateny Wek Ateny, Minister of Information and communication said the Bill received full approval from all ministers following detailed discussions.

Wek explained that the Bill will now be sent to the National Legislative Assembly for debate and final ratification.

“The Bill will now be forwarded to the National Legislative Assembly for further debate and final ratification,” Wek said in a statement shared by presidential press unit on Friday.

He underscored importance of bill in establishing a structured and accountable legal framework for the country’s nursing and midwifery professions.

Officials described the Nursing and Midwifery Bill as not just a legislative landmark, but a crucial step towards the improvement of healthcare delivery and the general well-being of mothers and children in South Sudan, he said.

The South Sudan Nurses and Midwives Association and the Council of Nurses and Midwives have been calling for the urgent enactment of the Nurses and Midwives Bill for a number of years.

They stated that the Bill is very important because it regulates the work of nurses and midwives. It clarifies their scope of obligations and provides a legal framework that accords the council the power to govern and manage all nurses and midwives nationwide.

According to them, through the Bill, the council will take full charge by registering all nursing and midwifery practitioners in the country.