Twenty-five-year-old Yainkain Sesay is expecting her first child. Before her first antenatal visit to King Harman Maternity and Child Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital city, she was anxious. “When I visited the hospital before I was pregnant, it was hard because I couldn’t afford to pay for all the treatment,” she says. But when she returned this time, she was pleasantly surprised. “The health services here are good and I feel safe. They don’t ask for money and they provide good treatment. Pregnant women like me are treated well.”

The change that Sesay has experienced is due to continuing efforts by government to promote the right to health for all people in the country. A new strategy, developed by the Government of Sierra Leone with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and launched in May 2023, aims to entrench a people-centred life stages approach to health care, strengthening health systems and advancing the country towards universal health coverage (UHC). 

“The person-centred life stages approach seeks to provide holistic one-stop care for clients, through integration of services and mechanisms. It requires investment in primary health care systems to provide health promotion, disease prevention, curative, rehabilitative and palliative services at all life stages, leaving no one behind,” explains Dr Austin Demby, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health.

According to data from WHO, in 2021 the UHC service coverage index in Sierra Leone was 41 out of 100, a medium ranking. The service coverage index uses a selection of indicators to represent overall coverage of essential health services across the entire population in a country, ranked from zero (worst) to 100 (best) and is used to measure progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals related to UHC.  Sierra Leone’s has almost tripled since 2000, when it was ranked very low at 14 out of 100. The country has made efforts to improve health services amid challenges including the devastating Ebola outbreak in 2014 and the COVID-19 pandemic, which stretched the health system to the limit.

This improvement is in part thanks to Government’s free health care for pregnant women, lactating mothers and under-5 children since 2010. With the new strategy, government aims to accelerate progress towards its ambitious 2030 goal, which is that all people in Sierra Leone will have equitable access to quality and affordable health services without any undue financial hardship.

The approach is being rolled out to cover the whole country. The Community Health Officer at the Waterloo Community Health Centre in Freetown, Emmanuel Marcathy, says that in the past year the centre has made significant changes that are encouraging patients back in large numbers.

“One of the key issues we identified was the inadequacy of the facilities to support patients. We focused on improving staff attitude and upskilled nurses in various clinical procedures. The free health care programme is thriving in our facility, with consistent drug supplies, particularly for people like under-5 children, pregnant women and lactating mothers,” he says.

Mariama Bah, a midwife at King Harman Maternity and Child Hospital, is grateful to witness the extensive infrastructure changes and repairs that she says have transformed care. Among these are improved drug availability and testing capacity, sufficient beds and improved support, especially for pregnant women.

“Over the past two years in the new building, the hospital proudly recorded zero maternal deaths, reflecting our commitment to quality health care, despite the challenges we face,” Bah says.

The country has taken other steps to put policy into action. In May 2023, the government worked closely with WHO to conduct a Universal Health Preparedness Review, a process designed to bolster health emergency preparedness and response, while simultaneously building health system capacity to deliver quality universal health care. One of the recommendations of the review was to establish a national public health agency, a pivotal step in the country’s journey towards UHC. Seven months later, in December 2023, the country launched the agency, a foundational institution that will provide science-based leadership, expertise and coordination for public health efforts.

Commending the Government of Sierra Leone for the significant achievements in improving health and well-being since the 2014 Ebola outbreak, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone, Dr Innocent Nuwagira, is upbeat about the progress being made. “Government is committed to the process. We have seen remarkable change, high-level commitment and partner collaboration,” he says. “WHO will continue to support the government towards meeting the set targets as we advance to the year 2030.”

It has been a long and complex process of identifying gaps and strengths, and this has translated into many opportunities for improvement, says Dr Demby. “We must ensure the availability of strong programmes throughout the life course, while superimposing on that a system for early detection and effective response to outbreaks and emergencies. Those are all the hallmarks of the universal health coverage,” he says.

For users like Sesay, the changes have brought about a sense of peace for the future. “Since I registered at the hospital as a pregnant woman, I’ve never regretted it. I look forward to delivering here safely,” she says.    

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization – Sierra Leone.

In early 2023, global and regional climate and circulation models predicted the El Nino oceanographic phenomenon for the 2023-2024. Predictions pointed to a high probability of both below-normal precipitation and above-normal temperature. Southern Africa is already battling with the effects of the El Nino induced drought phenomenon and Zimbabwe has declared the 2023-2024 summer cropping season a national disaster following the El Nino-induced drought.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Zimbabwe through Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development (MLAFWRD) have embarked on a process to review the Zimbabwe food security situation and outlook to respond to the El Nino induced drought.

The MLAFWRD and FAO held an urgent high-level meeting in Harare Co-chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Professor Obert Jiri and Dr. Patrice Talla, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa and Representative to Zimbabwe. The objective was to collaboratively assess the current drought situation while exploring how FAO programmes can build resilience for the country and plan for interventions in consultation and with the support from the Agriculture Ministry.

Considering that 70 percent of the population is dependent on agriculture for food and income, urgent short and long-term interventions play a key role in averting severe food insecurity and damage to livelihoods.

“These engagements are important to strengthen collaboration between FAO and the Government of Zimbabwe in responding to the effects of the El Nino induced drought. We agreed on key action plans to respond and address the short and long-term effects of the El Nino,” said Professor Jiri affirming and upholding the collaborative partnership between the two entities.  

During the high-level meeting, both FAO and the MLAFWRD presented and reflected on the current status of the food security situation and outlook with the objective to identify synergies and areas of collaboration to assess and mitigate the risk of agricultural livelihoods degradation due to El Nino. Leveraging on FAO’s Strategic Framework 2022 – 2031 and its work in emergencies, the meeting came at an opportune time when FAO has already embarked on a regional assessment of the impacts of El Nino in Southern Africa and Zimbabwe’s assessment will be finalized in May 2024.

With the 2022 – 2026 Country Programming Framework (CPF) approaching its mid-term, FAO presented the current milestones in implementation of the CPF while also highlighting the challenges encountered including the funding gaps and resource mobilization efforts.

During the meeting, FAO also presented its work on global corporate and flagship initiatives including Hand in Hand Initiative (HiHi), Digital Villages Initiative (DVI) and the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP). HiHi is one of the initiatives which Zimbabwe can take advantage of in responding to El Nino. For the past two years, the HiHi in Zimbabwe has set precedence in terms of public, private and development financing for investment facilitation at national, regional and international fora. The OCOP is a country-led and country-driven initiative that focuses on Special Agricultural Products (SAPs) with Zimbabwe already focusing on the traditional soyabean value chain. The DVI seeks to transform rural economies for the better through digitalization.

“Today, we had the opportunity to elaborate more on FAO work to systematically plan and receive guidance from the Government of Zimbabwe through the Agriculture Ministry on how to harmonize and optimize delivery and impact in responding to the effects of El Nino,” said Dr. Patrice Talla underlining the critical importance of consultative and multisectoral involvement of key stakeholders in this process. 

The meeting agreed on intensifying promotion of crop diversification with the Government emphasizing that its now implementing policy decisions anchored on use and adoption of traditional grains which are resistant to many crop diseases and pests and can survive adverse climatic conditions such as this El Nino. FAO committed to support the Government in scaling up and linking irrigation and mechanization for small scale farmers with a strategic thrust on private sector inclusion.

The MLAFWRD and FAO agreed on an action plan for short and long-term interventions to address the challenges being encountered in the agriculture sector including through open data, early warning and anticipatory actions as well as traditional response action. The action plan will be spearheaded by a team of technical experts from FAO and the MLAFWRD.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

​On the occasion of handing over medical aid to Sudan, on Thursday (4/4) the Central Team consisting of Deputy III for Emergency Management of BNPB, Chairman of Commission VIII DPR-RI and Assistant Deputy of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture accompanied by Ambassador Sunarko and the Minister of Health of Sudan visited the Port Hospital. Sudan Al Hawadis which is the largest hospital in the Red Sea State.

The visit was intended to directly observe the condition and situation of the community as well as hospital supporting infrastructure affected by the armed conflict in Sudan. Port Sudan Hospital is also a government-owned hospital that accommodates treatment of civilian victims of war and is a reference for civil society. However, the condition of the infrastructure supporting health services in hospitals has not been able to keep up with the intensity of incoming patients, especially the limited supply of medicines and medical equipment to treat patients in the Emergency Room.

On this occasion the delegation visited several patients and provided aid packages directly to the patient’s families. BNPB Deputy III for Emergency Management also expressed his condolences and deep sympathy to the Sudanese people affected by the conflict. He hopes that the medical assistance provided by the Indonesian Government can ease the burden on health services in Sudan and have a positive impact on the Sudanese people who are undergoing treatment and treatment.

The hospital expressed its appreciation and thanks to the Indonesian Government for providing medical assistance to the people of Sudan. Essential medicines and medical consumables are assistance that the Sudanese people really need at this time. On this occasion the Minister of Health Dr. Haitham also expressed his gratitude for Indonesia’s commitment to maintaining world peace and showing solidarity with Sudan.

Indonesia’s assistance to Sudan is proof of the close bilateral relations between the two countries which have existed for more than 60 years. It is hoped that this assistance can ease the suffering of people affected by the conflict.​

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Khartoum, Sudan.

The Indonesian Government delegation led by the Deputy for Emergency Management at BNPB, Maj. Gen. Fajar Setyawan and the Indonesian Ambassador to Sudan, Ambassador Sunarko, handed over humanitarian aid from the Indonesian Government to the Sudanese Government which was received directly by the Sudanese Minister of Health, Dr. Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim is located at Port Sudan International Airport.

Humanitarian aid packages were carried using chartered Garuda Indonesia planes. The total value of assistance reached USD 1 million, consisting of 238 types of medicines weighing 12.44 tons to treat emergency conditions, medical oncology, medical chronics, as well as blood bank supplies and medical consumables.

This assistance is a form of close relations between Indonesia and Sudan as well as a solidarity commitment to help alleviate the conditions of the Sudanese people who are experiencing a health crisis due to the ongoing armed conflict.

In his remarks, Maj. Gen. Fajar Setyawan said that the Indonesian Government was trying to respond quickly to requests for humanitarian assistance from the Sudanese Government. Indonesia has always considered Sudan as a close friendly country, even though it is separated by a long distance. It is hoped that this assistance can help ease the burden on people who are undergoing treatment and need treatment and medication.

Minister of Health Haitham expressed his appreciation to Indonesia for the solidarity and assistance provided to help the Sudanese people who are affected by the war. The Minister of Health believes that this assistance will have a positive impact on the Sudanese people. Dr. Haitham also expressed his commitment to immediately distribute this aid to those in need.

This assistance is the second batch of Indonesia’s humanitarian assistance to Sudan. Previously in December 2023, Indonesia through the Indonesian Red Cross provided medical assistance worth IDR. 2 billion (USD 127,000) in the form of medical equipment and medicines weighing 10 tons.

This provision of assistance reflects the Indonesian Government’s commitment to supporting humanitarian issues in the international world, including health issues faced by friendly countries.​

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Khartoum, Sudan.