By Mamajah Jalloh
The Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Austin Demby, has reported a 31.3 per cent reduction in maternal deaths and a 12.7 per cent decline in child deaths compared with the same period last year, while stressing that the loss of even one life remains unacceptable.
Speaking on Wednesday, 28 October 2026, at a stakeholder meeting at City Hall in Freetown, Dr. Demby also disclosed that 10,294 children who had never received a single vaccine had been reached, representing 114 per cent of the campaign’s target.
The meeting, attended by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mustapha Kabba, doctors, midwives, nurses, matrons, hospital managers, council officials, community leaders and development partners from the Western Area Urban and Western Area Rural districts, provided an opportunity to assess progress under the 300 Days of Activism for Triple Zero campaign.
The campaign seeks to achieve zero preventable maternal deaths, zero preventable child deaths and zero children missing all routine vaccinations.
Despite the progress recorded, the Minister urged health workers and stakeholders not to become complacent, revealing that six mothers died nationwide during Week 42 alone. He said the deaths were preventable, adding that children had also died from causes that could have been avoided.
“Every one of these deaths represents a family changed forever. Our ambition is ZERO,” Dr. Demby said.
He identified postpartum haemorrhage, uterine rupture and infections as major causes of maternal deaths, while malaria, sepsis and chest infections continued to threaten children’s lives.
According to the Minister, many of these deaths are linked to delays in seeking medical attention, poor communication during referrals, shortages of blood and essential medicines, and inadequate preparedness among healthcare teams.
Dr. Demby also expressed concern about the treatment of patients at health facilities, warning that disrespect, neglect and demands for unofficial payments could undermine public confidence in the healthcare system.
He said communities should not simply be blamed for failing to seek medical attention early. Instead, health authorities must examine the reasons people lose trust in health facilities and take practical steps to restore that confidence.
“We should not respond to this by simply condemning communities. We must ask why people lose trust, and then make our services worthy of that trust,” he stated.
With 58 days remaining in the campaign, the Minister called on healthcare workers and stakeholders to intensify efforts to prevent avoidable deaths. He emphasised that honest reporting of challenges would not be punished, but concealing problems or failing to act after they had been identified would not be tolerated.
He said the campaign’s success would not be measured by the number of meetings held, but by the number of mothers who return home safely with their babies and the number of children who survive to celebrate their next birthdays.
The Minister further urged healthcare professionals to treat every woman who seeks care as they would a sister or daughter, and every child as their own, ensuring that patients receive competent, compassionate and respectful treatment.
“58 days more to go. Every pregnancy is ours. Every child is ours. Every life counts,” Dr. Demby concluded.