The World Health Organization with support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has inaugurated the construction of a maternity complex in Yambio hospital, Western Equatoria state and a maternity waiting home in Wau hospital, Western Bahr el Ghazal state.

The inaguration follows efforts by the WHO and the Ministry of Health to ensure the delivery and utilization of quality comprehensive emergency Obstetrics and newborn care services in hospitals in South Sudan. A vital intervention towards accelerating maternal mortality reduction in the country. The organization is also supporting the construction of the maternity wings and waiting homes because universally the accepted standard indicator of quantity of critical services as well a proxy indicator on accessibility is the Caesarean Section (CS) Rate, where the acceptable threshold is that not less than 5% and not more than 15%, as a proportion of all births in the population.

In Wau hospital the inauguration was officiated by His Excellency Salva Kiir Mayardit, the president of the Republic of South Sudan accompanied by Honorable Dr Riek Gai Kok, Minister of Health, Republic of South Sudan, the Canadian Ambassador to South Sudan his Excellency Nick Coghlan, and Dr Abdi Aden Mohamed, the WHO South Sudan Head of Office among others. While in Yambio, the inauguration was officiated by the Honorable Dr Riek Gai Kok, Minister of Health, Republic of South Sudan, accompanied by the Governor of Western Equatoria State, Honorable Bangazi Joseph Bakasoro, the Undersecretary Ministry of Health, Dr Makur Matur Koriom, the Canadian Ambassador to South Sudan his Excellency Nick Coghlan, and Dr Abdi Aden Mohamed, the WHO South Sudan Head of Office.

In 2012, the construction of the maternity wing in Bor State hospital was inaugurated; construction completed and handed over to the State Ministry of Health, Jonglei state in February 2013. This year the project will focus on three hospitals of Yambio,Wau and Malakal Teaching hospitals while in 2014, focus will be on Kuajok, Bentiu, Aweil and Tori State hospitals. In addition to the construction of the maternity wards and waiting homes, WHO has also deployed gynecologists and obstetricians, midwives to the four hospitals of Bor State hospital, Yambio and Wau hospital and Malakal Teaching hospital and granted scholarships for over 20 medical doctors to further their studies in gynecology and obstetrics as part of capacity building for the cadres in the country.