Save the Children is set to improve maternal, newborn, and child health services for up to 2,000 women and children in Pujehun and Port Loko Districts. The initiative was announced by the organization’s Director of Programme and Operations, Dr. Modupe Taiwo, during the Ministry of Health and Sanitation’s launch of a project aimed at strengthening health systems nationwide. The event took place at the Atlantic Lumley Hotel on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.
Dr. Taiwo explained that the project will focus on 62 health facilities—31 in each district. It aims to enhance the quality of health services provided to mothers, children, and other community members by equipping these facilities with necessary medical supplies and improving infrastructure.
In her address, Dr. Taiwo emphasized the importance of empowering communities to actively seek out health services, stating that, “We have a component of community behavior change, where communities are encouraged to come to health facilities and demand quality services for themselves and their children.”
She also highlighted efforts to build the capacity of health workers, as well as plans to provide vital medical equipment, materials, and medications. The organization has been working closely with the Ministry of Health to ensure proper coordination of drug supplies.
Dr. Taiwo further noted that many of the health facilities are in poor condition, lacking basic infrastructure such as wire mesh, beds, and labor wards. To address these issues, Save the Children will renovate four identified health facilities and construct essential toilet and water systems.
The total cost of the project for the first year is $1.5 million, with the project expected to run for five years, subject to annual reviews.
UNICEF’s Chief of Health and Nutrition in Sierra Leone, Dr. Vandana Joshi, urged local partners to ensure the proper use of resources for the benefit of the country’s children. Dr. Yusuf Sheku Tejan, Medical Superintendent at Port Loko Government Hospital, expressed excitement for the project, stating it would significantly improve their ability to save lives.
Yakuba Kamara, Project Manager at SHADE Sierra Leone, stressed that healthcare is a fundamental right of every child and that the project would enhance safe deliveries for pregnant women.
Dr. Tom Sesay, Director of Child Mortality at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, thanked Save the Children for their support, expressing confidence that the project would improve nutrition interventions and the technical expertise of health workers across Sierra Leone.
