The Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) launched Sierra Leone’s national Policy and a five year Strategic Plan (2013-2017) on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) on 6 September 2013. The documents were launched by the Minister of Health and Sanitation Madam Miatta Kargbo during a symposium on the prevalence and burden of NCDs in the country. In addition a health fair was held to raise public awareness on the major risk factors of NCDs. Experts presentations at the symposium on trends of NCDs indicated upward trend in some of the major NCDs including cancer, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, among others. Basic NCDs screenings and information materials were also delivered at the event.
The policy and strategic plan identified priority areas for intervention and outlined the roles of the government, WHO and other partners in curbing the growing trend of NCDs. The documents are expected to facilitate integration of NCDs care services into the public health agenda and enhance inter-sectoral response to reducing NCDs in the general population. The documents were developed in consultation with multi-sector stakeholders led by MoHS. WHO supported the process by providing technical and financial support. The Organization also pledged its continued support to the country in the implementation of strategies that would prevent and reduce the burden of NCDs.
A 2009 cross sectional population based survey using the WHO STEPS-wise approach to NCDs surveillance, and current hospital-based morbidity data showed high exposure of the population to NCDs risk factors and increasing incidences of NCDs among the general population. In addition, the burden of NCDs due to injuries is also on the increase particularly from road traffic crashes. Sierra Leone is one of the countries in the region that is implementing the WHO Package of Essential Non-Communicable Diseases Intervention (WHO-PEN) for primary health care in order to strengthen the control and prevention of NCDs in Sierra Leone. WHO-PEN for primary health care in low-resource settings was developed by WHO to address the threat of NCDs with a set of cost-effective priority interventions for poor-resource settings.

Ministry of Health Launches National NCDs Policy and Strategic Plan 2013-2017

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