Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has announced it will conclude its medical support in the Bombali and Tonkolili districts of Sierra Leone by the end of September 2025. This transition will see the Ministry of Health (MoH) and other health partners fully taking over the management of medical activities in the regions.

The decision comes after MSF began a gradual reduction of its support in early 2024, establishing a steering committee with national authorities, health and development partners, and community representatives to ensure a smooth transition.

In Bombali district, MSF has worked closely with the MoH’s National Leprosy and Tuberculosis Control Program (NLTCP) for five years, focusing on strengthening the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of tuberculosis (TB) at the Makeni regional hospital and 15 peripheral health units. Notably, Sierra Leone became the first country globally to routinely offer the shorter six-month all-oral regimen for drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) in 2022. From 2020 to 2024, MSF and the NLTCP initiated DR-TB treatment for 299 patients and enrolled 6,593 in drug-sensitive TB (DS-TB) treatment. MSF’s support in Bombali is set to conclude in July 2025.

In Tonkolili district, MSF has been supporting primary and secondary healthcare services since 2016, following its response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak. The organization has focused on improving access to health services for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children under five at the Magburaka Government hospital and the Mile 91 Hinistas community health centre (CHC), as well as other peripheral health units. Since 2016, MSF has provided 412,987 outpatient consultations and assisted 22,229 safe deliveries. The teams also provided sexual and reproductive healthcare to adolescents and women, and medical care to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. MSF’s support in Mile 91 and surrounding areas will end in August 2025, and in Magburaka Government hospital in September 2025.

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MSF, as an emergency medical and humanitarian organization, is reallocating its resources due to increasing global crises. The decision to conclude these projects in Sierra Leone reflects the need to optimize resources and reach more people in need across the world. In 2024, MSF operated in 75 countries.

Despite the withdrawal from these districts, MSF will continue its operations in Kenema district, providing maternal and child healthcare at the MSF Mother and Child hospital in Hangha and supporting peripheral health units. The organization will remain vigilant and prepared to respond to any health emergencies in Sierra Leone.

“We want to express our thanks to the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health for the collaborative work done over the years in Bombali and Tonkolili districts, and to all the communities we have worked alongside with and who have enabled us to provide medical care to some of their most vulnerable members,” stated Yashovardhan, MSF’s Head of Mission in Sierra Leone. “We are grateful to our Sierra Leonean and international staff with whom we have provided significant support to the country’s health system. We will continue working together, to ensure a smooth transition and the continuity of medical services to these communities to the best of our ability.”

MSF has been active in Sierra Leone since 1986, responding to various health crises including cholera and measles outbreaks, the civil war, the Ebola outbreak, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the recent MPox response.