Source: All Africa
By Patrick J. Kamara, 23 March 2012
Country Manager of USAID has said that while noticeable progress has been made so far by the government to improving health care in the country, Sierra Leone is yet currently "off track" in meeting the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 on maternal and child health.
Ms. Jean Benedict was speaking yesterday at the closing ceremony of the implementation of grants awarded to two Sierra Leonean NGOs under the West Africa Ambassador's Fund (WAAF) to implement interventions aimed at improving the health of people in deprived communities across the country.
"The maternal and child mortality figures for Sierra Leone are unacceptably high," she noted, adding that the lifetime risk of a woman dying from complications of pregnancy and child birth is one in eight.
According to Benedict, one in twelve children still die in Sierra Leone before their first birthday and that majority of these deaths are caused by preventable diseases. HIV/AIDS infection, she said, remains considerably higher especially among commercial sex workers and that the rate puts the general population at increased risk of the infection.
Further progress, according to her, is constrained by a health system struggling to cope with the country's needs and that urgent intervention is required to enable Sierra Leone improve its health situation.
Ms. Benedict quoted from a speech made by President Koroma during the state opening of parliament that: "Presently our healthcare system is caught between the structures of a government with limited resources, a people in extreme poverty, and a global recession that is limiting international support for improving access to services".
The USAID Country Manager said the United States government is committed to a strong and reproductive health partnership in Sierra Leone and that they responded to the country's health challenges by awarding two grants to partners under the Action for West Africa Regional Health Program (AWARE). The grants were awarded as part of the West Africa Ambassador's Fund (WAAF), she added.
Over the past twelve months, the WAAF grants have enabled two local organisations - Medical Research Centre (MRC) and the Agency for Community Empowerment, Participation and Transformation (ACEPT) - to implement various interventions to improve the health of the population most in need.
The grants, according to her, have contributed to significant improvements in the health and quality of life for thousands of people in rural and hard reach communities.
More information, visit:
Population, Health and Development in Ghana. Attaining the Millenium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2011
Millennium Development Goals. Achievements and prospects of meeting the targets in Africa
Tourism and Millenium Development Goals: Tourism, Local Communities and Development
By Patrick J. Kamara, 23 March 2012
Country Manager of USAID has said that while noticeable progress has been made so far by the government to improving health care in the country, Sierra Leone is yet currently "off track" in meeting the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 on maternal and child health.
Ms. Jean Benedict was speaking yesterday at the closing ceremony of the implementation of grants awarded to two Sierra Leonean NGOs under the West Africa Ambassador's Fund (WAAF) to implement interventions aimed at improving the health of people in deprived communities across the country.
"The maternal and child mortality figures for Sierra Leone are unacceptably high," she noted, adding that the lifetime risk of a woman dying from complications of pregnancy and child birth is one in eight.
According to Benedict, one in twelve children still die in Sierra Leone before their first birthday and that majority of these deaths are caused by preventable diseases. HIV/AIDS infection, she said, remains considerably higher especially among commercial sex workers and that the rate puts the general population at increased risk of the infection.
Further progress, according to her, is constrained by a health system struggling to cope with the country's needs and that urgent intervention is required to enable Sierra Leone improve its health situation.
Ms. Benedict quoted from a speech made by President Koroma during the state opening of parliament that: "Presently our healthcare system is caught between the structures of a government with limited resources, a people in extreme poverty, and a global recession that is limiting international support for improving access to services".
The USAID Country Manager said the United States government is committed to a strong and reproductive health partnership in Sierra Leone and that they responded to the country's health challenges by awarding two grants to partners under the Action for West Africa Regional Health Program (AWARE). The grants were awarded as part of the West Africa Ambassador's Fund (WAAF), she added.
Over the past twelve months, the WAAF grants have enabled two local organisations - Medical Research Centre (MRC) and the Agency for Community Empowerment, Participation and Transformation (ACEPT) - to implement various interventions to improve the health of the population most in need.
The grants, according to her, have contributed to significant improvements in the health and quality of life for thousands of people in rural and hard reach communities.
More information, visit:
Population, Health and Development in Ghana. Attaining the Millenium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2011
Millennium Development Goals. Achievements and prospects of meeting the targets in Africa
Tourism and Millenium Development Goals: Tourism, Local Communities and Development
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