Sierra Leone News

In July this year, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) in collaboration with the World Health Organization commenced a countrywide strategic leadership and management training for health authorities in all the districts in Sierra Leone. Trained in cohorts, 97 MoHS officials with governance, leadership and managerial responsibilities at the district hospitals and District Health Management Teams (DHMT) have been trained so far.

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation in collaboration with WHO and partners is rolling out Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative to promote breastfeeding by training both clinical and non-clinical hospital personnel in the three regional hospitals and the University Teaching hospital (PCMH/ODCH) in the country.  These trainings aim at equipping the clinical and non-clinical hospital staff with the knowledge and skills necessary to transform their health facilities into baby-friendly institutions through implementation of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, and to sustain and improv

KABALA, 7 July 2018 --- On 3 July 2018, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone commenced implementation of a 6-day reactive measles vaccination campaign in Koinadugu districts, aiming to protect all children aged between 6 months and 15 years against the disease. The targeted campaign has sought to reach an estimated 187,707 eligible children with the lifesaving vaccine during this period.

Health sector response mounted, including preparations for targeted vaccine campaign

FREETOWN, June 14 2018 - The Ministry of Health and Sanitation today declared a measles outbreak in  Falaba district in the northern part of Sierra Leone. There have been a total of 19 confirmed cases this week in the Chiefdoms of Sulima (14 cases) and Mongo (5 cases), close to the border with Guinea. 

A measles outbreak is defined as three or more laboratory confirmed cases in a community or district in one month.

FREETOWN, June 13 2018 -  Sierra Leone has become the latest country to join the Global Quality of Care Network, which aims to ensure that every pregnant woman, newborn and child can receive quality healthcare, and to halve maternal and newborn deaths in targeted health facilities within five years.

FREETOWN, May 31, 2018 --- On World No Tobacco Day, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation joined WHO and partners in calling for a halt to the tobacco epidemic, asking communities, businesses, health workers and individuals to take a pledge to end tobacco use in Sierra Leone. Globally tobacco kills more than 7 million people each year, and is a leading but preventable risk factor for heart disease and cancer. 
 

FREETOWN, May 5 2018 - Midwives everywhere have jobs that truly matter, but in Sierra Leone, their role is even more demanding. The country has among the highest rates of maternal and newborn deaths globally, and it is estimated that as many as eight mothers in the country lose their lives every single day. 

FREETOWN, April 25, 2018 --- This week, 23rd-29th April, is African and Global Vaccination Week, when the World Health Organization joins partners, health workers and communities across the world to celebrate the critical role of vaccines in promoting child health and survival. The week has been gazetted by world leaders at the World Health Assembly and the African Regional Committee to promote and champion vaccinations, as one of the most important, cost-effective interventions for saving children’s lives, and keeping adults, communities and nations, healthy.