UNFPA Leads Push to Expand Access to Reproductive Health Services
Aminata Koroma The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in collaboration with the Directorate of Reproductive and Child Health (DRCH) and Welbodi Partnership, has supported a national dissemination meeting focused on strengthening access to essential reproductive health services in Sierra Leone.
The meeting brought together health leaders, district health teams, researchers and partners under the Sharing and Integrating Essential Reproductive Health Services (SIERRA) Project to discuss how research evidence can be translated into actionable national health policies and practices.
Key discussions centred on the INTEGRATE Study, which explored the feasibility and impact of combining family planning counselling with same-visit contraceptive method provision across routine service delivery points, including antenatal care, postnatal care, HIV and immunisation units.
Participants also examined findings from the SHARE Study, which focused on family planning task-sharing, role optimisation across health cadres and quality of care as approaches to improving contraceptive uptake nationwide.
The meeting further provided a platform for stakeholders to engage in a “From Evidence to Action” dialogue aimed at identifying immediate priority actions for the Ministry of Health, UNFPA, districts and health facilities.
The initiative seeks to bridge research and policy while strengthening health systems and improving access to reproductive health services for people across Sierra Leone.