About Us
Learn more about what we do.
AGOSS BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Association of Gynecologists and Obstetricians of South Sudan (AGOSS) is the only organization that group South Sudanese Obstetricians and Gynecologists together with a mandate to promote professionalism, undertake research, represent its members at local, regional, international level and champion Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights (SRH&R) of the people of South Sudan through advocacy, programmatic activities, reproductive health research, capacity strengthening of
members, education and training. It was established in April 2015 by a group of 15 South Sudanese obstetricians and gynecologists with support from UNFPA. The first few years were challenging, having few gynecologists in the country. However,
AGOSS is gaining more and more credibility and it is membership have grown to 65 members now a days. It has established relationships with several partners including the Ministry of Health (MOH), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), World
Health Organization (WHO), among others. In 2021, AGOSS had a fruitful discussion with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Juba Teaching Hospital and the association was able to gain an office space with a set address to establish a secretariat which is now well furnished and fully functional through the support of UNFPA. The
organization is open to and draws its membership based on its constitution consisting of three categories which include full, associate and honorary membership. Full membership of the Association is open to all medical doctors who completed a
post graduate training in obstetrics and gynecology and are registered with South Sudan General Medical Council (SSGMC) as specialist obstetrician and gynecologist. Associate membership is accorded to South Sudanese residents of obstetrics and
gynecology, medical practitioners, health and non-health professionals who, in the opinion of the executive committee, can contribute to sexual and reproductive health services delivery and support the association to achieve its objectives. Honorary
Membership is accorded to individuals who, in the opinion of the executive committee, have rendered valuable services to the association and merit honorary membership as shall be approved by the general assembly.
AGOSS is an affiliate member of regional and international bodies with similar vision, mission, and objectives like the international Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO), African Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AFOG) and
East, Central and Southern Africa College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ECSACOG).
Vision:
AGOSS has a vision that women of South Sudan achieve the highest possible standards of physical, mental, reproductive and sexual health and well-being throughout their lives.
mission:
We aim to elevate the status of women and girls’ health, reduce disparities in health care for women and girls, and advance the science and practice of obstetrics and gynecology through education, local research, advocacy and capacity building.
Core Values:
With our members, partners, volunteers and staff at our core, we hold the following values.
- Women and girls deserve respect, care and the ability to make decisions for themselves.
- We make evidence-based decisions grounded in science, integrity and the well-being of our communities.
- We communicate openly, directly and respectfully.
- We work collaboratively and respect diversity.
- The work environment for our staff and volunteers must empower them to build relationships based on mutual respect and a focus on women and girls’ health and rights.
Our Commitments:
- Strengthen the capacity of our members by supporting and empowering them to play a pivotal role in influencing practice and policies in the country in general and their respective work places in particular;
- Ensure sexual and reproductive health and rights by supporting the provision of accessible, affordable, sustainable and comprehensive health services;
- Empower clinicians as leaders to promote scientific and policy dialogues in women and girls’ health and rights;
- Disseminate current evidence in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology through diverse platforms.
- Reduce maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in South Sudan
Goals and Strategic Direction:
- Developing the policy documents of the Association namely Human Resource, Financial and Procurement Policies and Code of Conduct;
- Improving the infra-structure of the Association in the current office space at Juba Teaching Hospital by procurement of 3 laptops, 2 desktop computers, one office telephone and reliable source of internet;
- Strengthening the financial and human resource management systems of the Association as to ensure it meets international standards;
- Training a pool of members and staff on financial management, project management and proposal writing;
- Training a pool of members on research methodology and basics of data analysis software.
- Mobilizing members and potential members to support the Association and its activities.
- Expanding/opening the membership of the Association to other health professionals who work in and promote SRH&R services within the country.
- Improving AGOSS visibility by having a functional and continuously updated website, WhatsApp, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) pages, quarterly or biannual newsletter and South Sudan Journal of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SSJSRH) in the long run.
- Strengthening partnerships with local, regional and international partners in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
- Assuming technical leadership, participate or develop national Health policies, guidelines, strategic and implementation plans in general and SRH&R in particular;
- Participating in SRH&R national committees and technical working groups implicated in the implementation of the Government of South Sudan Health Policy in general;
- Identifying struggling BEmONC and CEmONC centers across the country, build their capacity and closely supervise them through our members to improve service delivery;
- Conducting or participate in operational research to generate evidence that can be used to inform policies and improve SRH&R indicators of the country.
- Providing leadership in the development and implementation of evidence- based clinical guidelines;
- Fostering scientific and policy dialogues and disseminate the latest evidence in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology through high-caliber annual congresses, Continuous Medical Education (CME), Workshops, news letters, SSJRH and policy and practice statements;
- Ensuring adherence of AGOSS members to the ethics and high standards of professionalism in relation to sexual and reproductive health;
- Providing relevant and timely information for our members.
- Producing and disseminating evidence-based interventions to inform sexual and reproductive health policies;
- Assuming technical leadership in supporting the Ministry of Health, Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) standing committees for Health, TNLA network for Population and Development and other stakeholders to enact sexual and reproductive health Laws;
- Disseminating SRH&R key advocacy messages through rallies, workshops and radio talk-shows.