Health Minister Appeals to Diaspora to Contribute to the Health Sector
By Marian Magdalene Bangura
Strategic Communication Unit
MoICE
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby has highlighted remarkable progress in the country’s healthcare transformation while calling on Sierra Leoneans living abroad to become active partners in building a stronger, more resilient, and healthier nation.
Speaking at the Civic Day London Programme, Dr. Demby reflected on Sierra Leone’s journey from having one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world to achieving significant improvements through sustained government reforms, strategic investments, and people-centred healthcare policies.
“We have made tremendous progress, but we are not satisfied. Every preventable maternal or child death is one too many, and that is why we are accelerating our efforts,” the Minister stated.
Dr. Demby recalled that Sierra Leone once recorded approximately 1,600 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, among the highest globally. Through deliberate investments in healthcare infrastructure, workforce development, and community health services, maternal mortality has been reduced by more than 76 percent, marking one of the country’s most significant public health achievements.
A major driver of this progress is the 300 Days of Activism Campaign, launched by President Dr. Julius Maada Bio on 1 March 2026, with the ambitious goal of achieving zero preventable maternal deaths and zero preventable child deaths across Sierra Leone.
According to the Minister, the first 100 days of the campaign have already delivered encouraging results.
“We have recorded a 31 percent reduction in maternal deaths and an 11 percent decline in infant mortality. We also identified an estimated 9,000 children who had never received routine vaccinations, and during the first 100 days of the campaign, more than 5,000 of them were identified and fully vaccinated,” Dr. Demby disclosed.
He described these achievements as clear evidence that focused interventions, strong leadership, and community participation can produce measurable improvements in public health outcomes.
Dr. Demby explained that Sierra Leone’s healthcare transformation is anchored on four strategic pillars designed to build a resilient, accessible, and responsive health system.
The first pillar focuses on strengthening primary healthcare by bringing quality medical services closer to communities through improved infrastructure, expanded staffing, preventive healthcare programmes, and modern equipment. He revealed that more than 380 health facilities are now powered by renewable solar energy, ensuring reliable healthcare delivery even in remote communities.
The second pillar centres on strengthening referral systems through an expanded ambulance network supported by the national 117 emergency service.
“Health workers anywhere in Sierra Leone can call 117 and dispatch a GPS-enabled ambulance equipped with oxygen, life-support equipment, and trained medical personnel to transfer critically ill patients quickly and safely,” he explained.
The third pillar focuses on expanding secondary and tertiary healthcare through major investments in hospital construction and modernization.
Dr. Demby highlighted the ongoing construction of three new 100-bed hospitals in Pujehun, Moyamba, and Karena, all expected to be completed by the end of the year. He also announced government plans to build a state-of-the-art 300-bed modern hospital in Kerry Town, alongside the continued expansion of specialised maternal and paediatric healthcare services designed to meet the country’s growing health needs.
The fourth pillar emphasizes health security and emergency preparedness, drawing on lessons learned from previous disease outbreaks such as Ebola and COVID-19.
The Minister noted that Sierra Leone has significantly strengthened its disease surveillance system by deploying trained epidemiologists and surveillance officers nationwide to detect and respond rapidly to emerging public health threats.
He also underscored government investments in human capital development within the health sector, noting that the number of medical graduates entering the workforce has increased substantially while new health facilities are being developed to serve future generations.
Dr. Demby added that the Ministry is increasingly relying on real-time digital health information systems to monitor health outcomes, investigate maternal deaths, and support evidence-based decision-making.
“Our health system is becoming more connected, more responsive, and more accountable through digital innovation,” he said.
Concluding his presentation, the Minister called on Sierra Leoneans living abroad to view national development as a shared responsibility rather than an occasional engagement.
“The future of Sierra Leone cannot be built by the government alone. Our brothers and sisters in the diaspora possess valuable knowledge, skills, experience, and networks that can help accelerate national development,” he said.
He encouraged diaspora professionals, investors, and development partners to contribute their expertise and resources to the country’s ongoing transformation.
“Building a stronger Sierra Leone requires all of us – those at home and those abroad, working together with a shared vision and commitment.”
The Civic Day London Programme provided an important platform for meaningful dialogue between government officials and Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora, reinforcing the Government’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and active citizen participation in national development while showcasing the steady transformation of the country’s healthcare sector.
