By: Isatu Yollah Bangura
Sierra Leone is targeting zero preventable deaths among women and children under a new approach that strengthens the monitoring and investigation of maternal and child deaths, Deputy Minister of Health II, Dr. Jalikatu Mustapha, have said.
Dr. Mustapha said maternal deaths have declined by about 70 percent over the past six to seven years, with deaths reportedly falling from approximately 10 to three among women giving birth.
She said the Ministry of Health has introduced the Triple Zero Campaign, which targets three key outcomes: zero preventable maternal deaths, zero preventable child deaths, and zero children missing routine vaccinations.
According to Dr. Mustapha, the campaign brings together the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Information and Civic Education, the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, communities, healthcare workers, development partners and the private sector to identify gaps in the health system and strengthen responses.
She said the initiative will reduce reliance on demographic and health surveys conducted several years apart by introducing a system through which health data will be reviewed weekly.
Under the new approach, every reported maternal or child death will be investigated to establish what happened, identify contributing factors and determine measures to prevent similar deaths.
Dr. Mustapha said the information will be captured on a national health dashboard, allowing health authorities to monitor cases across the country in real time.
She explained that once a maternal or child death is reported, national and district health teams will investigate the circumstances, identify gaps in service delivery and recommend corrective measures.
According to her, the system will also ensure that health authorities do not have to wait until the end of the year to review health data. Instead, cases will be assessed within days, with findings and action points discussed regularly to improve health service delivery.
Dr. Mustapha said the real-time data system forms part of the broader Triple Zero Campaign, which seeks to ensure that no woman or child dies from a preventable cause and that every child receives the vaccinations needed to protect them from preventable diseases.