By the Ministry of Health
In times of crisis, the instinct may be to isolate – to shut down, hunker in, and respond in fragments. But Sierra Leone’s health challenges are not isolated, and neither is the Ministry’s response. In the face of an active Mpox outbreak, growing systemic pressures, and public concern, the Ministry of Health made a deliberate decision to convene the nation’s health actors in a structured, accountable, and coordinated way. That decision, the just-concluded National Health Summit, has sparked heated commentary. And that is understandable.
This is a country that remembers hardship. Citizens know what it means to go without medicine, to wait too long for transport, to fear an infection that spreads faster than information. So yes, it is right to ask questions. And it is right for the Ministry of Health to respond – not with deflection, but with reflection.
The 2025 National Health Summit was not a celebration. It was a reckoning. A space to take stock of where we are, where we have fallen short, and what must change – urgently. We debated resource gaps, examined implementation bottlenecks, and reviewed our collective delivery against public commitments.
Most crucially, the summit dedicated focused and extended sessions on Mpox. The aim was not merely to report statistics, but to listen to community voices, especially from those who have seen firsthand what is working, and what is not. It zeroed in on what matters most now: breaking the chain of transmission. Participants explored strategies for scaling up contact tracing, intensifying health education, and mobilizing communities for early detection and reporting. Health workers, surveillance teams, local leaders, and civil society brought critical feedback on where we are falling short, and what must be ramped up.
Community leaders shaped the conversation and the outcomes of this dialogue has already informed changes in deployment, communications, and supply chain strategies for the Mpox response.
We know that public health gatherings, if unmanaged, can pose risks. That is why the majority of summit participants were frontline health workers and Ministry of Health staff – most of whom had been prioritized for the Mpox vaccine. Strict safety protocols were in place:
• Sanitizer was distributed frequently during the event
• Handwashing stations were installed across the venue
• Announcements about Mpox prevention were made regularly over the public address system
• Informational banners were placed prominently
• Speakers were handed sanitizers before and after podium use
We did not take these steps lightly. They were guided by public health protocols and in consultation with national emergency teams. Gathering safely is possible, and necessary, when decisions must be made, together.
Another deliberate design choice was accommodation. One major cost driver was ensuring that participants from outside Freetown could be housed in and around the venue. This allowed for full participation and consistent presence across all three days. Instead of long commutes or partial attendance, the summit benefited from real-time engagement across sessions – including those that shaped urgent next steps for the Mpox response and beyond.
There is a valid question many are asking: Could the funds used for this summit have bought more drugs, or ambulances, or supplies?
The answer is: those needs continue to be funded through separate, dedicated budgets, and the Ministry’s resources for outbreak response, logistics, workforce support, and essential services have not been compromised. The summit was made possible by contributions from our health partners, who recognize that coordination, learning, and alignment are core parts of preparedness.
The Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks taught us that health systems must be able to respond to emergencies and sustain routine services at the same time. This summit was part of that dual-capacity. It reflected a system determined not to collapse under pressure, but to adapt, listen, and act better.
The summit also tackled the emerging reality of the gradual withdrawal of traditional overseas development partners. In that context, the summit’s sessions on sustainable health financing, innovative financing mechanisms, and smarter partner coordination were crucial – building a foundation for long-term health system resilience. Financial resilience is one piece of that puzzle, but what we are truly preparing for is the ability of our health system to withstand shocks, adapt, and continue delivering care, even in crisis.
In fact, it was at another high-level gathering like this that the Ministry of Health secured an additional $15 million from a development partner recently, with more in discussion. These moments of national or international convening, when well-executed, have proven to unlock real, tangible support for the health sector.
Much of the initial and continued funding for the Mpox response has come from health development partners who stepped up in direct response to joint advocacy by the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Agency. That advocacy continues every day.
One of the most powerful outcomes of the summit came at its close: development partners publicly signed on to stand fully behind the Ministry’s agenda and its framework of the 4As – Alignment, Accountability, Accompaniment, and Acceleration. It was a landmark moment – partners publicly committed to following the Ministry’s lead, ensuring that every health investment, from vaccines to ambulances, better meets the real needs of Sierra Leoneans.
We are aware that public discussion around the summit has been intense. And we welcome it. That scrutiny reflects how much health matters to the people of this country. But we also hope it creates space to appreciate the hard, complex choices that must be made when emergencies and system-building collide.
No one at the Ministry believes everything is perfect. But we do believe in the power of showing up, listening intently, and holding ourselves to account in full view of the people we serve. That is what this summit was. Not a retreat. A reckoning.
