By Aminata Abu Bakarr Kamara
Sierra Leone has showcased its significant progress in improving maternal and child health during a high-level engagement at the UK Houses of Parliament, where policymakers, Members of Parliament, healthcare professionals, and development partners discussed the country’s health sector reforms and the future of global development financing.
Representing the Ministry of Health, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Services, Dr. Mustapha S. Kabba, alongside Sierra Leone’s Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Mrs. Yvonne King Odigboh, participated in the parliamentary screening of a documentary highlighting maternal and newborn healthcare in Sierra Leone.
The event provided an opportunity for Sierra Leone to present the strides made in strengthening its healthcare system, promoting national ownership, and sustaining improvements in maternal and child health outcomes.
Addressing participants, Dr. Kabba disclosed that maternal mortality in Sierra Leone has dropped dramatically from 1,682 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 354 in 2023. He added that under-five mortality has also recorded significant reductions, attributing the progress to sustained investments in primary healthcare, expanded immunisation programmes, improved emergency referral systems, skilled birth attendance, better health infrastructure, and strengthened community health services.
He further highlighted the Government’s Triple Zero Initiative, which seeks to eliminate preventable maternal deaths, preventable child deaths, and the number of zero-dose children through stronger leadership, enhanced accountability, and evidence-based decision-making across the health sector.
Dr. Kabba also emphasised the Ministry of Health’s commitment to building a resilient and self-sustaining healthcare system through continued investment in digital health technologies and health information systems. According to him, real-time data is playing an increasingly important role in guiding policy decisions, improving resource allocation, and strengthening accountability across the country.
While reaffirming Sierra Leone’s commitment to greater national ownership of its health sector, he stressed that continued collaboration with international partners remains vital to protecting the country’s hard-earned gains as it advances towards long-term sustainability.
Speaking on behalf of the Sierra Leone High Commission, Deputy High Commissioner Mrs. Yvonne King Odigboh reaffirmed the Mission’s commitment to strengthening cooperation between Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom in the areas of health, development, trade, and investment.
She noted that the parliamentary engagement, together with a separate high-level investment forum led by the Minister of Finance in London, reflected Sierra Leone’s broader commitment to institutional reforms, economic transformation, and sustainable development through strong international partnerships.
The event concluded with participants calling for sustained global collaboration to preserve the remarkable progress achieved in maternal and child health while supporting Sierra Leone’s transition towards a stronger, more resilient, and nationally owned healthcare system.
The Ministry of Health reaffirmed its determination to continue improving healthcare delivery to ensure more mothers survive childbirth, more children live beyond their fifth birthday, and every Sierra Leonean has access to quality healthcare services.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday, 8th July 2026 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
