Ministry of Health and Sanitation leads partners in creating biennial work plan

In late July, the WHO country office in Sierra Leone held a consultative meeting with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation as they put together the 2012-2013 biennial work plan. At the session, co-chaired by Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation Mr. Borbor Sawyer and WHO Representative Dr. Wondimagegnehu Alemu, strong praise was given to the Ministry for its leadership. Without it, Alemu said, “it would have been difficult to implement prioritized programmes.” Alemu’s complimentary remarks reflect what he told MLI’s Leading Global Health blog earlier this year about Sierra Leone’s increased country ownership of national health programs and its improved relationship with donors. “The top leadership of the Ministry is strengthening the relationship with health development partners,” Alemu said.   At the end of July’s meeting, participants were ready to make contributions to the biennial work plan that reflect national priorities and greater ownership of the document.

Emphasizing Community Health Care to Combat TB in Mali

TB remains a prominent health threat in Mali despite the availability of free care for the disease. Dr Faran Sissoko, a lung specialist at the Pape Clinic in Bamako states that "Tuberculosis continues to be an important cause of mortality in Mali.

As originally seen at AllAfrica.com.

Dr. Kisito Sheku Daoh is the chief medical officer in Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health. He acts as the chief liaison between the ministry and the health partners and the lead advisor on all health-related issues. Daoh recently attended the International Conference on Global Health in Washington, DC, as part of the Ministerial Leadership Initiative. He spoke to AllAfrica about Sierra Leone's free healthcare for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under five, and advances in bringing down the country's high rates of child and maternal mortality.

I am trained gynecologist and so naturally I feel the need to address the issue of child mortality very, very strongly. I worked as a program manager, first as a clinician and then as head of reproductive health, for years in Sierra Leone. I was there right through all of the conflict. I stayed because if we all went out, who is going to take care of the issues?