By Aminata Abu Bakarr Kamara

Sierra Leone is improving maternal and child health outcomes by adopting the Child Death Review (CDR) framework, supported by the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance Sierra Leone (CHAMPS-SL) program. This initiative emphasizes accountability, continuous improvement, and collaboration among healthcare providers while educating communities on critical health practices such as antenatal care, timely hospital referrals, and vaccinations.

Zainab D. Conteh, a pediatric nurse at the Makeni Regional Hospital (MRH), highlighted the benefits of the CDR sessions, including enhanced clinical skills, knowledge sharing, and improved team collaboration. The sessions have refined their use of the A-F clinical assessment method, crucial for identifying and addressing life-threatening conditions in children.

Zainab also acknowledged the support of CHAMPS-SL’s Data-to-Action project, which supplies emergency drugs to the pediatric ward. She stressed the importance of non-state actors in complementing the Ministry of Health’s efforts in a resource-constrained healthcare system.

By maximizing resources and fostering collaboration, the CDR initiative is poised to significantly reduce maternal and child mortality, paving the way for a healthier future in Sierra Leone.