By Mohamed M. Sesay
At the official launch of the digital Health Roadmap staged at the Bintumani Hotel, the Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Health Hon. Racheal Mariatu Sesay Pessima, has on Tuesday the 12th of December 2023, appealed to the Minister of Finance to increase the National Budget for the Minister of Health so that the ministry could be efficacious in its much-anticipated healthcare delivery for the nation.
Hon. Pessima lauded the launching of the Digital Health Roadmap as a step in the right direction. She added that the digital healthcare delivery initiative was one of the measures that helped the United States of America during the times of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Health assured that with the launch of the digital health roadmap, tremendous gains would be made in the healthcare sector across the country.
In his statement, the Minister of Health Dr. Austin Demby, said the National Digital Health Roadmap focuses on the digitalization of the country's health system from a linear paper-based to an electronic system that catches up with the trend of other countries in the world. Dr. Demby revealed that health records are now electronic in most countries of the world and Sierra Leone remains ambitious to the success of the new normal.
He mentioned that Telemedicine and consultation is a familiar feat that many countries have held in high esteem."Even though the Ministry has a Digital Health Strategy operationalizing across the nation, but the strategy requires a roadmap," Dr. Demby said.
He alluded that the roadmap prescribes how to digitize health service planning and delivery to the people more efficiently and effectively.
Minister of Health added that the Essential Health Service Package allows the Ministry to document and define what services are provided at what facilities and what human resources and structural requirements are to be in place at specific facilities.
Dr. Demby futhered that the Essential Health Service Package helps the citizens to be aware of what they are entitled to at their local health centers. "The Government of Sierra Leone continues to reiterate its commitment to improving the lives and livelihoods of its people through quality, accessible, and affordable health service delivery," Dr. Demby said.
He reaffirmed that the Government of Sierra Leone would continue to provide more funding and the political will to ensure that access to quality healthcare does not become a financial burden on individual
Sierra Leoneans.
Dr. Demby emphasized that the commemoration of the Global Universal Health Coverage Day with the theme "Health for all: Time for Action resonates with the Government's commitment to achieving universal health coverage in the country and safeguarding the well-being of the people in a bid to foster healthier life stages.
He highlighted the gains Sierra Leone has made ranging from the robust and resilient approach in defeating the Ebola epidemic, and COVID-19 pandemic, and the reduction of infant mortality rates to 4.43% per one thousand life births among others.
Dr. Demby revealed that they hope to establish a health insurance scheme that improves health outcomes in the country and engage in partnerships and projects to achieve its plan.
The Minister of Finance Sheku Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura, assured that they would continue to support the Ministry of Health's intervention in enhancing accessible, affordable, and quality healthcare services in the country through the five life stages approach.
He stated that the Ministry would scale up the intervention on maternal adolescent care, and sexual reproductive education among others, especially in the essential services package. "We are committed to ensuring that we embrace our partners to buy into the vision of the Ministry of Health," Fantamadi Bangura said.
Minister of Finance furthered that they would remain supportive of reengineering the infrastructures and workforce system in the country. He committed to supporting the Nation Public Health Agency with the necessary resources.
Salima Monorma Bah, Minister of Communication Technology and Innovation said in partnership with the Ministry of Health, they had established E-health records that focus on digitalized medical and test results across the country. She mentioned that with the impact of COVID-19, they engaged in remote consultation among citizens.
She furthered that with the importance of technology, they were able to contextualize information delivery systems in different languages spoken in the country. "We have established a drone corridor in the country that delivers essential medical packages to far-reaching places," she stated.
Madam Monorma Bah revealed that they have fiber backbones as a fundamental infrastructure that would prioritize communication and technology in rural areas.
Nadia Rasheed, Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Vice Chair of Health Development Partners commended the Ministry of Health for taking leadership in developing the life stages framework which many countries around the world are yearning to replicate.
She said the National Digital Health Roadmap and the Essential Health Service Package would continue to drive the strategic and ambitious vision for improving the health care system in the nation.
Innocent Nuwagira, WHO/United Nations Representative thanked the Government of Sierra Leone for prioritizing Universal Health Coverage with its 11.6% contribution in extending progress towards the Abuja Declaration of 15%.
Dayo Spencer Walters, Acting Health Office Director of USAID said Sierra Leone's National Digital Health Roadmap serves as an important document that aligns with investment from partners and supporting development. She revealed that the country has become the first within the sub-Saharan Africa region to fully transform the health sector from paper-based to digital systems. "USAID Sierra Leone hopes to support community health workers to use digital health system to standardize and improve patient wellness," Spencer Walters reassured.
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