31% Maternal Death Reduction Reported as Triple Zero Campaign Hits Day 200
Sierra Leone has recorded a 31% reduction in maternal deaths compared with the same period last year, Deputy Minister of Health 2 Dr. Jalikatu Mustapha said Tuesday.
Mustapha made the disclosure during an interview with Truth Media on September 22, as the government’s 300 Days of Activism campaign reached Day 200.
She said the decline reflects progress recorded under the campaign, which focuses on reducing preventable maternal and child deaths and reaching children who have not received routine vaccinations.
The Ministry of Health previously reported a 31.3% decline in maternal deaths during the first 200 days of the initiative, alongside an 11.7% reduction in hospital child deaths. The ministry also reported that its zero-dose vaccination target had been exceeded.
Known as the “Triple Zero” initiative, the campaign seeks to achieve zero preventable maternal deaths, zero preventable child deaths and zero zero-dose children.
Health Minister Dr. Austin Demby and Mustapha presented the Day 200 progress report to President Julius Maada Bio on September 17, marking the completion of two-thirds of the campaign and leaving 100 days for further implementation.
Mustapha said the government would continue working to sustain the gains recorded so far as the campaign enters its final phase.
The Ministry of Health has attributed the reported progress to stronger accountability, the real-time use of health data, and interventions by frontline health workers and district health teams.
The Day 200 figures follow an earlier report at the campaign’s halfway point, when the ministry said maternal deaths had fallen by about 30%, while hospital child deaths had declined by 14%.