By Saidu Jalloh, Reporter, Daily Scope
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, recently joined global health leaders and development partners at the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) High-Level Forum in Tokyo, Japan. The forum provided a platform for participants to emphasize the importance of shared learning and cooperative efforts across governments to accelerate progress toward achieving universal health coverage.
During the event, Dr. Demby presented Sierra Leone’s ambitious and transformative health agenda, which is structured around the innovative 4 A’s Framework: Accompaniment, Alignment, Acceleration, and Accountability. He highlighted how this framework continues to shape the country’s approach to health sector reform and coordination with development partners.
In his presentation, the Minister outlined a series of key actions currently being implemented to strengthen healthcare delivery in Sierra Leone. These initiatives include the adoption of a Life Stages Approach, aimed at ensuring health services align with population needs at every age. He also spoke about strengthening the Free Health Care Initiative and preparing for the launch of the Sierra Leone National Health Insurance Scheme (SLeSHI), which aims to broaden access to essential healthcare services.
Dr. Demby pointed out the importance of scaling up digital health systems and employing data-driven management techniques to enhance service delivery efficiency. Additionally, he discussed the implementation of a reinforced Health Financing Strategy, grounded in principles of transparency, accountability, and innovative resource mobilization.
As he shared the country’s health goals for 2030, Dr. Demby reaffirmed the commitment to significant improvements: reducing maternal mortality to below 70 per 100,000 live births, decreasing under-five mortality to below 25 per 1,000 live births, and expanding financial risk protection to ensure that the poorest households are shielded from catastrophic health expenditures.
The Minister expressed his appreciation for President Julius Maada Bio’s visionary leadership in human capital development, noting that it has been a driving force behind Sierra Leone’s progress toward universal health coverage and the establishment of resilient health systems.
The Tokyo forum reaffirmed a global commitment to the principles of One Plan, One Budget, One Report, emphasizing stronger alignment among partners, sustainable financing, and digital transformation as key pathways to achieving Health for All by the year 2030.
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