By Claudia Redwood-Sawyer
Speaking at the weekly government press conference at the Miatta Civic Centre on Tuesday 9th June, 2026, the Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, highlighted Sierra Leone’s ongoing transformation in the health sector, emphasizing a people-centred approach to healthcare delivery as the country advances towards achieving Universal Health Coverage.
Dr. Demby said the focus is shifting away from addressing individual diseases in isolation towards delivering healthcare that responds to the needs of people throughout every stage of life.
“Universal Health Coverage is fundamentally about people. We cannot continue to focus only on individual diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, or HIV. One person can suffer from all three at the same time. Therefore, our approach must focus on the whole person rather than isolated diseases.”
The Minister explained that Sierra Leone is adopting a life-stage approach to healthcare, beginning with pregnancy and continuing through infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. He noted that ensuring safe pregnancies, healthy births, quality child healthcare, and effective school health services are critical components of the strategy.
Dr. Demby identified strengthening primary healthcare as one of the government’s top priorities. He said investments are being made nationwide to construct new health facilities, rehabilitate existing ones, improve staffing levels, and ensure the availability of essential medicines, supplies, and equipment.
He also highlighted major investments in secondary and tertiary healthcare services, including the construction of new 100-bed hospitals in Karene, Pujehun, and Moyamba. According to the Minister, the government has expanded access to advanced medical technologies, including CT scanners, ultrasound equipment, and dialysis machines, to improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes across the country.
“Our priority is strengthening referral systems,” Dr. Demby said, noting that significant investments have been made in ambulance services to improve emergency response and patient transfers. He explained that ambulances are now equipped with GPS tracking, oxygen, trained personnel, and essential medical supplies, allowing citizens to access emergency services through the 117 hotline.
The Minister further highlighted the importance of building a strong healthcare workforce. He revealed that the number of doctors trained annually has increased from approximately 30 to about 250, with plans to expand that figure to 300 each year. Similar investments, he added, are being made in the training of nurses and midwives to improve both the quantity and quality of healthcare professionals available to serve the population.
Dr. Demby stressed that the success of health sector reforms would ultimately be measured by tangible improvements in health outcomes rather than administrative activities.
“Success will be measured by reductions in maternal mortality, reductions in infant mortality, increases in survival rates, reductions in teenage pregnancy, and improvements in the overall health and wellbeing of the people of Sierra Leone.”
He concluded by stating that early indicators show significant progress, saying Sierra Leone’s health sector continues to record positive improvements as investments in infrastructure, personnel, and service delivery begin to yield results.
