E4A-MamaYe, one of the prominent health development partners advocating for safe clinics in Sierra Leone and beyond, has called on the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and other health partners to increase spending on maternal and newborn health (MNH). This disclosure was made recently by the Advocacy Advisor, Mrs Sowo Lebbie, after a one week media engagement educating journalists on MNH reporting as part of their advocacy drive to help save lives.Mrs Sowo Lebbie said that the Ministry of Health and Sanitation should spend more on primary health care delivery to help reduce the death rate among pregnant women and newborns. The government spends so little despite its commitments to the Abuja Declaration where they have promised to spend 15% of government expenditure in the health sector. Today, 61% of all health spending in Sierra Leone comes directly from individual households without insurance.She further stressed the need for safe clinics in the country, noting that more than one newborn baby dies every hour and one third of maternal deaths in Sierra Leone are caused by haemorrhage or heavy bleeding. She said that the government needs to spend at least US$86 per person each year in order to provide basic health services including a clean and safe birth. She also revealed that water, sanitation and hygiene are very key for MNH, as recommended by the World Health Organization, DFID, UNICEF and other health development partners.Mrs Lebbie concluded by calling on the government to give more concern to health care delivery and safe clinics to reduce preventable deaths among mothers and newborns.Author: Sahr Dumbar Matturi, Standard Times Newspaper
Sahr Dumbar Matturi reports in the Standard Times newspaper about financing for maternal and newborn health. You can read his article here.