By Joseph Momoh
The Ministry of Health has deployed 124 newly trained officers across the country to lead a nationwide fumigation and pest control exercise in all public hospitals, in a bid to eliminate preventable infections and protect patients.
The initiative, carried out by the Directorate of Environmental Health, is part of the government’s flagship “300 Days of Activism” campaign aimed at drastically reducing maternal and child mortality.
Working with hospital management, the vector and pest control teams will manage access, conduct deep disinfection of wards, theaters and clinics, and enforce strict safety measures before, during and after each fumigation cycle.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mustapha Kabba addressed the officers before deployment and charged them to uphold professionalism and put patient safety first.
“Fumigation is far more than a routine practice,” Dr. Kabba said. “Together with proper healthcare waste management and environmental sanitation, it is one of the everyday protocols that keep hospitals free from infections that put mothers, newborns, and health workers at risk.”
According to Ministry data, sepsis remains one of the leading causes of maternal and newborn deaths in Sierra Leone. Health authorities say the fumigation drive, paired with routine deep-cleaning and stronger Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures, will directly target the pathogens and contamination sources responsible for hospital-acquired infections.
The exercise also supports the Ministry’s “Triple Zero” target: zero preventable maternal deaths, zero preventable newborn deaths, and zero health-worker infections.
With the teams now in the field, officials say the enhanced sanitation measures will establish a cleaner and safer baseline for healthcare delivery nationwide.
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