John T. Allieu SLENA Correspondent

Minister of Health, Austin Demby, PhD, MPH, etched his name into continental health history at the recently concluded 39th African Union Summit. The achievement positions the West African nation as a pioneer in data-driven healthcare reform across the continent. The event unfolded on the margins of the Summit in Addis Ababa. HICA represents a fundamental shift in Africa's health strategy, moving beyond ambition to evidence-based action. This new institution focuses on strengthening health...

Opportunity arrived for mothers and newborns as the Paul E. Farmer Maternal Center of Excellence officially welcomed its first patients, transforming a promise made last October into a life-saving reality facility. The facility admitted 27 patients on opening day. Medical teams delivered 13 healthy babies through seven safe caesarean sections and six normal deliveries. This immediate operational success demonstrates the center's readiness to tackle maternal mortality in one of Sierra Leone's...

Five years ago, His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio entrusted Dr. Demby with one of the most critical and sensitive portfolios in government, the Ministry of Health. It was not a ceremonial appointment, it was a political decision rooted in competence, reform, and the urgent need to fix a sector that had suffered years of neglect, weak governance, and poor accountability. Five years on, the results speak clearly. Under the SLPP led New Direction Government, and through the focused...