By Josephine Sesay
Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health is taking steps to transform the management and reporting of primary healthcare through a new digitalization partnership between the Directorate of Primary Health Care (DPHC) and the Directorate of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI).
The collaboration is aimed at replacing manual and fragmented reporting processes with automated, real-time digital systems that will enable health managers to access reliable information and monitor the performance of primary healthcare services more efficiently.
A DPHC delegation, led by Senior Primary Healthcare Fellow Dr. John Mohamed Koroma, recently held discussions with the leadership of DSTI to identify priority areas where technology can be deployed to strengthen healthcare planning, monitoring and oversight across the country.
Under the proposed initiative, several key primary healthcare management tools will be digitized. These include the Primary Healthcare Oversight Reporting Tool, District Monthly Reporting Templates, and Performance Contracts for District Health Management Teams (DHMTs).
The new digital system is expected to incorporate automated data analysis and performance dashboards, with links to existing health information platforms such as DHIS2.
This integration is expected to make it easier for health authorities to collect, analyze and use information for decision-making.
Speaking during the engagement, Dr. Koroma stressed the importance of modernizing the way primary healthcare information is managed.
He noted that timely and reliable data would enable health managers to identify challenges earlier, monitor progress and strengthen accountability across the healthcare system.
The move is also expected to support the Ministry of Health in improving planning and resource allocation. By having access to real-time information, health authorities could identify gaps in healthcare services more quickly and direct resources to districts and facilities where they are most needed.
For communities, the government expects the digital transformation to contribute to improved healthcare delivery by helping authorities respond more effectively to service gaps and emerging challenges at local health facilities.
The partnership builds on DSTI’s growing involvement in the digital transformation of Sierra Leone’s health sector.
The agency has previously supported the introduction of a maternal health tracking system and the digitization of regulatory platforms for health professionals, including nurses, midwives and pharmacists.
The latest initiative therefore represents a further step toward strengthening the use of technology and data in the management of Sierra Leone’s health services.
The DPHC and DSTI are currently continuing technical discussions to determine the detailed scope of the initiative and establish the priority areas for implementation.
If successfully rolled out, the digital system could provide health managers with a more efficient mechanism for tracking performance, identifying weaknesses and making evidence-based decisions, while strengthening accountability within the country’s primary healthcare system.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday, 2nd September 2026 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
