The Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, addressing the Seventy-Seventh World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.
Freetown Sierra Leone Wednesday 29 May 2024
Good healthcare is a fundamental human right for all Sierra Leoneans irrespective of their social or financial standing. The President, Dr. Julius Maada Bio, has reiterated this message many times both locally and internationally reinforcing the country’s unwavering commitment towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This message is currently being transmitted to global health leaders at the ongoing Seventy-Seventh World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland.
A high-powered delegation from the Ministry of Health (MoH) led by the Minister, Dr Austin Demby, his deputy, Professor Charles Senessie and others, is adequately representing Sierra Leone; bringing global health leaders up-to-speed with the progress the country has made in relation to health service delivery with a particular focus on maternal and child health.
The World Health Assembly (WHA), is a supreme decision-making body for the World Health Organization (WHO). It is held annually for all Member States and it focuses on a specific health agenda to determine the policy of the organization prepared by the Executive Board.
This year’s Health Assembly centers around the theme; “All for Health, Health for All.” The idea is to discuss global strategies on a range of international health issues including a pandemic agreement and amendments to the International Health Regulations as well as a sustainable financial plan for WHO.
For Sierra Leone, the government of President Bio knows that healthcare and its delivery cannot be an end in itself. Along with education, food security and infrastructure, healthcare is a major cornerstone for national development. If the government is to achieve the much talked about human capital development, one that is responsive to the needs of the nation, a healthy population is the engine to achieving this.
Addressing the Assembly, Health Minister, Dr. Austin Demby, said that for healthcare to reach all 8 million Sierra Leoneans, everyone has to be visible to the health system.
Dr. Austin Demby addressing the World Health Body, WHO, at the ongoing World Health Assembly in Geneva
“Our approach is to provide healthcare services through the Life Stages, from pregnancy, to the newborn child, to adolescents, adults, and senior citizens,” the Minister said. The life stages approach, an innovative strategy of MoH to deliver quality and all inclusive healthcare, provides an opportunity to impact the wellbeing of the individual by the quality of preventive, supportive, and curative services the health system provides.
“With this approach we are beginning to see dramatic gains with a more than 60% reduction in maternal mortality over the past decade, and over 30% reduction in infant deaths,” Dr. Demby points out. Currently, Sierra Leone boasts of over 90% vaccine uptake with a continued increase in coverage including the introduction of new vaccines such as the RTS.S, the new malaria vaccine.
In addition, lessons learnt from Ebola and Covid-19 have led to the setting up of a new health security architecture that prioritizes prevention, preparedness and response. The new National Public Health Agency, (NPHA) was established with the view of serving as an institutional home equipped with surveillance capabilities to detect, and coordinate national response to outbreaks and pandemics.
Even as the Minister and his team continue to engage with world health leaders in meetings and discussions at the ongoing World Health Assembly, it is evident that Sierra Leone is on a radically transformative trajectory to improving healthcare. That is why the Minister continues to call on development partners, including the WHO, to accompany the nation on this ambitious journey.
“We continue to ask WHO and our development partners to listen to us at the global and country level. For us in Sierra Leone, with only six more years to go before 2030, Accompaniment, Acceleration and Alignment are the most critical tools we need to attain the SDGs,” Minister Demby concluded.