Post a comment 
Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health has taken over the newly rehabilitated Maternity Unit and Patient Waiting Areas at the Tombo Community Health Centre (CHC), in a move aimed at strengthening maternal and child healthcare services in the community.
The facility was handed over by the Solthis SHAPE Project as part of efforts to support national initiatives aimed at reducing maternal and neonatal mortality.
The rehabilitation goes beyond infrastructure improvements, with the project also placing emphasis on respectful, woman-centred care designed to safeguard the dignity, rights and overall experience of women and adolescents seeking healthcare services.
Located in the peninsula fishing community of Tombo, the CHC serves as a primary maternal healthcare facility for a catchment population of nearly 32,000 people.
The facility has also been equipped with essential medical equipment to support safer deliveries and the management of potentially life-threatening complications.
The equipment includes an autoclave for sterilising medical instruments, a fetal Doppler for monitoring foetal heartbeats, neonatal resuscitation equipment to assist newborns experiencing breathing difficulties, and a radiant warmer to help protect newborns from heat loss.
The handover comes as Sierra Leone intensifies its national 300 Days of Activism for Triple Zero campaign, championed by Minister of Health Dr Austin Demby.
The campaign seeks to achieve three key targets: zero preventable maternal deaths, zero preventable child deaths and zero-dose children.
Health authorities have emphasised the importance of frontline health facilities such as Tombo CHC in translating national health policies and interventions into improved services for communities.
Recent nationwide health data cited in connection with the campaign indicate progress in key areas, including a reported 32% reduction in maternal mortality and a 16% reduction in infant mortality. However, the reported figure of 99.1% relating to zero-dose immunisation should be clearly defined according to the underlying data to avoid confusion over whether it refers to coverage or the proportion of children who remain unvaccinated.
With the rehabilitation completed and additional essential equipment provided, the upgraded Tombo CHC is expected to strengthen the facility’s capacity to provide maternal and newborn healthcare services to women and families in the surrounding communities.
