Sierra Leone is facing a shifting health landscape. While communicable diseases, like malaria, remain the leading cause of illness and death, there is a growing and concerning rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and diabetes. World Bank findings highlight this trend, showing that NCDs are becoming a major driver of mortality in Sierra Leone. Recent data collected by Healey International Relief Foundation (HIRF) echoes this reality, revealing that hypertension alone accounted for 17% of all cases treated across 20 HIRF-supported facilities.
NCD's On The Rise
To respond to this growing need, HIRF has been working closely with its partners to secure essential medicines and improve access to treatment for conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. Thanks to long-term partner MAP International, a shipment has arrived in Freetown that contains a significant number of medicines used to manage long-term, non-communicable conditions.
Among the medicines on the shipment is a large supply of metformin which is commonly prescribed to control blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. The shipment also contains Irbesartan which is used to manage high blood pressure.
“NCDs require consistent, informed, and long-term care. At HIRF, we are committed to ensuring that the health facilities we support have access to essential medications, educational tools, and resources for both prevention and treatment. This comprehensive approach helps patients receive the quality care they deserve. We are especially grateful to MAP for their generous support in providing the critical medications that make this work possible,” said Josephine Garnem, Executive Director of HIRF
Maternal and Child Health
While HIRF is expanding access to medicines to treat NCDs, we remain deeply committed to supporting maternal and prenatal health programs. Our data highlights a significant need for antibiotics among pregnant women, with 18% treated for respiratory infections and 29% for sexually transmitted infections. Ensuring a consistent supply of antibiotics is critical to improving maternal and newborn health outcomes, and the recent MAP International shipment includes a broad range of antibiotics specifically suited for pregnant women.
Importantly, the shipment also contains a vital supply of magnesium sulfate, an essential medicine used to prevent and manage seizures associated with pregnancy-related complications such as preeclampsia. The quantity received will provide HIRF-supported facilities with over 3,000 patient treatments for these high-risk conditions, strengthening the facilities’ ability to deliver life-saving care.
“While Sierra Leone is making great strides in reducing its maternal mortality rate, the medicines needed to help deal with the leading causes of maternal death can often be in short supply. Having these critical drugs available will be a great help in saving women’s lives,” said HIRF Senior Medical Advisor and Coordinator Sister Josephine Amara.
To strengthen children’s health, the MAP shipment included over 100,000 packs of Liquid I.V. Electrolyte Solution. Oral rehydration products are essential for children suffering from diarrhea and, in some cases, malaria, where dehydration is a common complication. According to HIRF data, 11% of cases among children under five are related to diarrhea and 45% to malaria. These rehydration products will play a critical role in supporting their treatment.
Medical Supplies Enhance Surgical Care
A frequent request from the facilities we support is the need for sutures. These sometimes can be hard to obtain but MAP International was able to provide over 300 boxes of sutures. This supply will enable between 300-1,000 surgeries ranging from hernia repair and small skin closures to appendectomies.
Alongside the surgical sutures, the shipment also included a variety of medical supplies designed to strengthen surgical care and post-operative recovery. Among these were syringes, needles, and skin preparation supplies, which are vital tools for ensuring safe, effective, and successful surgeries.
Shipment Impact
With distributions of this shipment set to begin soon, these medicines and supplies will play an important role in strengthening care across Sierra Leone. By improving access to treatments for non-communicable diseases, enhancing maternal health services, and providing essential supplies to support safe and effective surgeries, HIRF and its partners, like MAP International, are helping to build a healthier future for communities in need.
While challenges remain, every shipment, every medicine, and every life saved brings us one step closer to ensuring that we advance our mission to ensure Sierra Leoneans have access to quality health care services.
