AYV News, May 25, 2026
Sierra Leone’s Health Minister, Dr. Austin Demby, has showcased the country’s early successes in implementing its National Health Compact at the National Health Compacts Roundtable hosted by Seed Global Health alongside Sierra Leone and Uganda.
Dr. Demby said Sierra Leone is proving that a functional National Health Compact can work in practice under the framework of “One Plan, One Budget, One Reporting Framework,” launched in Tokyo in December 2025.
Highlighting the government’s “300 Days of Activism for Triple Zeros” campaign, he revealed that maternal deaths had dropped by 60% by Day 75 compared to the 2025 baseline.
He also pointed to live dashboards, district heatmaps, and real-time monitoring systems as part of the country’s accountability measures.
On financing, Dr. Demby said Sierra Leone is pursuing the Abuja Declaration target of allocating 15% of the national budget to health, while exploring health taxes and the Sierra Leone Social Health Insurance Scheme (SLeSHI).
He concluded by offering Sierra Leone as a reference country for nations seeking to establish similar health compacts.
