Sierra Leone challenged by lack of access to medical products

Sep 17, 2023

By Saio Marrah

The National Health Sector Strategic Plan (NHSSP) that spans from 2021 to 2025 has indicated that access to essential products for health remains a challenge in Sierra Leone.

The Document acknowledged that access to high quality, safe, efficacious and cost-effective essential medical products, vaccines and technologies are necessities for a resilient health system.

It recommended that the creation of a strong supply chain management system will enable quality product availability at all health system levels.

The plan highlighted the need for sufficient funding for healthcare system which includes revision of the essential drugs procurement, and donation policy to minimize expired drug stocking.

It explained that Traditional Medicines and Products are a major part of the health experience of people in Sierra Leone and noted that in order to include them in the formal sector, it recommended that research and development be undertaken to ensure quality standards for consumption, covered by a policy, strategy and cost implementation plan.

Pillar Strategic Objective of the Strategic Plan is geared towards fostering an effective, efficient and sustainable pharmaceutical management system that meets priority health needs by 2025.

The specific objectives are to support the pharmaceutical services’ governance and management structures for rational use of medicines and medical supplies by the same year.

The specific objectives are also geared towards supporting effective and efficient innovative technologies, mechanisms and processes for procurement storage amongst others, for essential health commodities.

It is also seeks to support medicines regulatory mechanisms to ensure standards on efficacy, safety, quality and use of medicines and health technologies are internationally accepted by 2025.

The plan also described the health infrastructure in the country as unequally distributed, with lower access to health services for those in rural and urban areas, and that equipment in available facilities are often under-used.

It noted that strengthening health infrastructure for increased access to services has received significant resources over the past five years.

Thus, the document stated that regulatory environment will be reviewed and enforced for system strengthening and that procedures for facility opening and closing, including accreditation legislation, will be established.

The specific objective is to establish health workforce stabilization by 2025.

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