Dr. Aminata Y. Kanu, MLI Country Lead for Sierra Leone

When I was child in Sierra Leone some three decades ago, I suffered from asthma, and my parents took me to Ola During Children’s Hospital for treatment.   The health system was fully functional then. All types of blood tests could be performed at the hospital and the country had plenty of specialists: pediatricians, neurologists, pathologists. Health care facilities had ample pharmaceuticals; food was provided during your stay. The hospital had all the latest medical equipment—I remember because my mother was a nurse.  I used to visit her in the intensive care unit and it was a little bit scary because of all the machines.

Lots of those things are missing now. A lack of resources and an 11-year civil war decimated the health system. Facilities were burned down, things were trashed. Many of the most highly educated people left, including most of the health personnel. Nobody brings in any equipment during wartime, nobody does research. Even though the war ended eight years ago and despite an influx of donations and work by NGOs, progress in restoring the health system has been slow.  That’s what is painful—the fact that it’s taken so long. Initially, there was very little coordination in rebuilding efforts. The government was occupied with establishing stability after the war. But now you can see the difference. There is a strategic plan. The Ministry of Health is coordinating efforts and getting NGOs to work toward the plan. Facilities are being built.  We’re moving away from a donor driven effort to one where everyone is working toward the same goals, Sierra Leone’s goals.

Now I am here as part of the rebuilding effort. As Sierra Leone Country Lead for the Ministerial Leadership Initiative for Global Health (MLI), I am helping the government strengthen donor coordination, providing technical assistance to the financing unit, and supporting the leadership of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, particularly in the area of reproductive health.  I feel like I’m making a difference—helping to make the system more efficient, more effective, and more trustworthy for donors. It may be a while before the facilities function the way they used to, but more basic care will address the biggest killers in the country—malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia. With the efforts we’re making now, I hope it’s not long before all Sierra Leoneans have access to a convenient facility where they can receive a diagnosis and treatment for their condition, just as I did when I was a child.

Prior to joining MLI, Aminata Kanu worked at the Medical Research Centre in Freetown, managing a maternal health program focused on translating national policies for local implementation. She holds a PhD in biochemistry and focused on science and scientific research in the UK during the first part of her career. She continues to engage with health care professionals in the diaspora, encouraging them to return to Sierra Leone.