18 November 2009
All pregnant and lactating women and children under 5 in Sierra Leone will have access to free healthcare within a year, thanks to a new programme that will receive a £34 million boost from DFID.
The emergency programme will be unveiled today at the Sierra Leone investment conference in London, attended by DFID Minister Gareth Thomas, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, representatives from the US government and potential investors.
The programme is part of the country’s new six-year strategy to make healthcare free for pregnant and lactating women and children under five by 2010, and all vulnerable groups such as the elderly and the very poor by 2015.
The UK funding will be used to help scrap “user fees” and strengthen the country’s health system to cope with the increased demand for services.
Studies have shown that these fees are a major barrier for the poorest families, leading to poor health and death from preventable illnesses whilst only generating 5% of health budgets.
UK funding will also provide more drugs and better equipment, increase the number of trained health workers, and raise awareness among the population of free healthcare. Money will also go towards monitoring and evaluation.
Read the full press release
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(Left to right) Prince Charles, Dr Ernest Bai Koroma, the President of Sierra Leone, and Gareth Thomas Sierra Leone Conference. Photo credit: North News and Pictures Ltd
