Post a comment 
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Austin Demby, delivered a keynote address at the Global Forum on Innovation and Action for Immunisation and Child Survival, drawing international attention to the country’s progress in reducing child mortality and strengthening its healthcare system.
The three-day forum, held in Maputo, Mozambique, brought together health leaders, policymakers, and development partners from around the world. Co-hosted by the governments of Sierra Leone and Mozambique, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, and Spain’s la Caixa Foundation, the event focused on scaling up vaccine access and reducing preventable child deaths in low- and middle-income countries.
Dr. Demby’s presentation emphasized Sierra Leone’s measurable improvements in child health outcomes. According to the Health Ministry, the country has achieved a 53% reduction in under-five mortality and a 38% decrease in neonatal deaths. These gains were attributed to health system reforms, community involvement, and a strong political commitment to maternal and child health.
“We have the tools. We have the science vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments. What we need now is equitable access and sustained investment,” Dr. Demby told participants, stressing the need for collaborative action to address child mortality.
The forum took place within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3, which targets improvements in child and maternal health by 2030. Despite global progress, sub-Saharan Africa remains disproportionately affected, accounting for 58% of the 4.3 million under-five deaths reported globally in 2021.
Dr. Demby highlighted several preventable diseases, malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea, and meningitis as persistent contributors to child deaths, compounded by malnutrition and weak health infrastructure in some regions.
He outlined Sierra Leone’s national strategy, framed by what he called the “Four A’s” approach:
Accompaniment through partnerships with communities and stakeholders,
Alignment of efforts across sectors,
Acceleration in service delivery and innovation, and
Accountability through transparent monitoring and evaluation.
In 2023, Sierra Leone declared maternal and child survival a national emergency, adopting a response model inspired by lessons learned during the Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks. The government has since increased domestic health spending and introduced new oversight mechanisms to improve outcomes.
During the forum, Dr. Demby also met with former First Lady of Mozambique and South Africa, Graça Machel, to discuss collaborative efforts in advancing child health across the continent.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Demby called on African nations to set bold national targets for immunization and child survival. He recommended the establishment of country-level review platforms to monitor progress and align strategies across borders. He further credited President Julius Maada Bio’s Human Capital Development initiative for anchoring recent health sector achievements.
The forum concluded with a shared commitment to intensify immunization efforts and ensure that child survival remains a central pillar of Africa’s development agenda.
