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Expanding in challenging times

Sierra Leone

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Disease outbreaks – including of Ebola and, more recently, COVID-19 – and years of civil war have devastated the healthcare system in Sierra Leone, leaving it severely understaffed.

Since MSF first responded in Sierra Leone – during a cholera outbreak in 1986 – we have adapted and expanded our projects to meet the growing needs in the country. Today, our teams monitor the spread of different diseases, including COVID-19, and is helping to boost the pool of skilled and qualified medical staff.

In a country where child and maternal death rates are exceptionally high, our activities are focused on children under five, pregnant women and lactating mothers, especially in Kenema, in the country’s east.

MSF currently runs medical projects in three districts, Kenema, Tonkolili and Bombali, helping the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to provide general and specialist healthcare, including for tuberculosis and HIV. Our teams also provide psychosocial support and treatment for victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

To address the lack of skilled and qualified health workers, the MSF Academy has enrolled nurses and clinical heath officers in Kenema, to help improve the services and to deliver effective responses during emergencies.

What are we doing in Sierra Leone?

Our activities in 2022 in Sierra Leone

Data and information from the International Activity Report 2022.

MSF in Sierra Leone in 2022 In Sierra Leone, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) made progress in treating drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) in 2022, while continuing to run longstanding projects aimed at improving maternal and child healthcare.
Sierra Leone IAR map 2022

We run projects in three districts, mainly focused on children under five, pregnant and lactating mothers, tuberculosis (TB) patients, and victims of sexual and gender-based violence. 

In Kenema, a district with high rates of sickness and death among mothers and children, MSF’s Hangha hospital provides emergency services to children under five, including inpatient therapeutic feeding and intensive care. We also provide healthcare to pregnant women, managing complications during pregnancy and delivery, as well as offering newborn care. In 2022, we also opened a comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care centre in the hospital. The facility has a solar power plant, which means that it runs on 100 per cent renewable, cheap, locally produced energy during the day, while using diesel generators at night. 

In Tonkolili district’s Mile 91, we support general healthcare centres, with the aim of reducing sickness and death from preventable causes among mothers and children. Patients requiring specialist care are referred to Magburaka district hospital, where we assist with maternal, neonatal, paediatric and comprehensive sexual and reproductive care. Services include prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, family planning, and medical and psychosocial support for victims of sexual and gender-based violence.  

In 2022, the MSF Academy for Healthcare continued to run skills development programmes for nurses, midwives and other healthcare workers, providing training to improve performance and deliver effective responses during emergencies.  

In Bombali district, our teams work in collaboration with the National Leprosy and Tuberculosis Control Programme to support diagnosis and management of TB. In 2022, we achieved a major milestone: the treatment of DR-TB patients with a new regimen that is much shorter, has fewer side-effects and requires fewer pills, making it easier for them to tolerate and complete treatment. Sierra Leone is the first country in the world to make this regimen available as a first choice for patients with DR-TB.

 

in 2022
 
Magburaka - Enhancing access to maternal health care in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone

Helping pregnant women access timely and quality maternity services

Project Update 20 Sep 2023
 
Kenema Hospital first construction phase.
Sierra Leone

New hospital to counter high maternal and child mortality rates

Project Update 14 Jun 2019
 
Lassa fever project
Neglected diseases

Lassa fever: A challenging disease to diagnose and treat

Project Update 18 Jan 2019
 
MSF Hospital in Kabala, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone

Learning from the past, preparing for the future

Project Update 21 Aug 2018
 
Health promotion
Sierra Leone

Winning people’s trust in healthcare

Project Update 27 Jul 2018
 
Landslides in Freetown
Sierra Leone

MSF supports communities hit hard by mudslide and flooding

Project Update 24 Aug 2017

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