By Mohamed M. Sesay
At a Press Conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Conference Hall, which marked a critical moment in the nation's health landscape, the Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, acknowledged and declared child health a priority, demanding immediate attention. In unwavering commitment, he said the Ministry of Health pledges to confront this issue head-on with a singular goal: to slash under-five mortality rates to less than 71 per 1000 by 2025 and 25 or fewer by 2030.
To achieve this goal, the Minister of Health implored all development partners to commit to the following ten critical action points, which he believed would redefine the narrative of child health in Sierra Leone. The critical action points include; To ensure all eligible children have access to life-saving vaccines in Sierra Leone by 2025, with a particular focus on the new Malaria vaccine, mandate the reporting of all child deaths and conduct regular reviews of such cases at all levels of healthcare, to increase funding allocations from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry Of Health, with dedicated budgets for the Child Health Program at both national and district levels, mobilize resources and align donor efforts with the life stage approach of the Ministry of Health, with a particular focus on childhood, foster collaboration among line ministries, including Social Welfare, Gender and Children's Affairs, and Agriculture, to address the holistic needs of children, prioritize investments in primary and secondary healthcare infrastructure, with opportunities for private sector involvement in facility refurbishment and equipment provision, to promote community engagement and behavioural change initiatives to enhance awareness of preventive interventions and encourage timely healthcare seeking behaviours for children, to support the training and retention of healthcare professionals, ensuring adequate paediatric expertise across all health facilities, to implement incentives to retain skilled health workers in rural areas, where access to care is often limited, and to establish state-of-the-art Paediatric Centres in each regional hospital by 2030, reducing the need for referrals and ensuring prompt access to quality care.
Minister Demby described the presser as a very pivotal moment in the history of Sierra Leone, adding that it was a day where they united to address the health of their children in the nation. He added that it was a moment to declare "enough is enough unequivocally" and to reject the notion that child deaths are inevitable or divinely ordained. Today, he said they reject complacency and embrace a renewed commitment to safeguarding the lives of children through proactive, evidence-based interventions.
‘As we say in Sierra Leone, "wellbodi na gentri." Regrettably, this truth remains elusive for many children, particularly in regions like ours where health disparities persist due to limited resources. While we acknowledge the progress made in reducing child mortality rates from a staggering 264 deaths per 1000 live births in the 90s to approximately 105/1000 live births today, the current figures remain unacceptable to us. Globally, Sierra Leone ranks very high in child mortality rates under the age of five, with the majority of these deaths occurring from preventable illnesses such as malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea’’, he said.
Dr. Austin Demby continued that Sierra Leone's trajectory towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal target of 25 or fewer deaths of children under five per 1000 live births by 2030 is off course. He said this goal might only be realized after 2050 at the country's current pace.
The Health Minister alluded that urgent and decisive action is imperative. Under the visionary leadership of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio, he said improving healthcare stands as a cornerstone of the national agenda for human capital development. He acknowledged that children represent the foundation of the nation's future, and it is their collective responsibility to ensure they survive and thrive in a nurturing environment.
In alignment with this vision, Dr. Austin Demby was very proud to announce the Ministry of Health's unwavering commitment to accelerating actions to improve child health. He disclosed that they had joined forces with counterparts from seven African nations and international development partners at the 75th World Health Assembly to initiate immediate measures aimed at halting preventable child deaths.
In April 2023, he disclosed that during the 2nd Global Pneumonia Forum in Madrid, Spain, Sierra Leone became the first country globally to launch a national Child Survival Action Plan (CSAP). Additionally, he said establishing the Child Health Programme under the Directorate of Reproductive and Child Health in October 2023 underscores the dedication to prioritizing child health at all levels of governance. ‘If Sierra Leone can achieve remarkable reductions in maternal mortality rates, then we possess the capacity to replicate this success for our children. It is said, "Where there is a will, there is a way." Let us demonstrate our unwavering resolve today, and we shall undoubtedly pave the path to progress,’’ he said.
The UNICEF representative, Rudolf Schwenk, intimated that Sierra Leone is one of the 40 low-income countries in the world that had made significant progress in reducing the mortality rate for both mothers and children under the age of five. He added that the government of Sierra Leone had established effective policies granting free access to primary health care and increased health financing, which had resulted in the reduction of U5 and neo-natal mortality, both child and maternal mortality.
He added that the under-five mortality rate had fallen by 60 percent over the past three decades, with a remarkable 36 percent reduction in the last ten years. However, he said that every year, one in ten children born does not reach their fifth birthday, underlining the need for a more comprehensive and bold approach. He noted that these deaths occur in both the neonatal and post-neonatal periods, with the first year of life accounting for more than 70 percent of all under-five deaths in the country.
To address these disparities, he called on the National Child Survival Action Plan, led by the Ministry of Health and developed through an extensive consultation process involving multiple stakeholders with support from UNICEF and partners, to provide a roadmap to accelerate the progress towards the SDG target 25 or even fewer deaths of children under five per 1,000 live births by 2030.
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