MISSION STATEMENT

To improve the health status of Sierra Leoneans by providing affordable and quality health care services that is accessible and affordable through a network of health facilities in the thirteen health districts.

AIMS 

1.To increase the accessibility of services nationwide by building more health facilities.

2. To make health care services affordable to all citizens.

3. To improve the health care delivery services at district, chiefdom and village levels.

4. To build capacities in terms of training and updating the knowledge and skills of all primary health care workers nationwide.

5. To build capacity of the health workers in managing health human resources asset and materials.

6. To improve on environmental sanitation thereby reducing the impact of communicable diseases in the country.

ACHIEVEMENTS 

1. Health facilities destroyed during the war up to the year 2000 have been rehabilitated or reconstructed

2. Capacity building for primary health care workers has been as follows:
Eleven out of the thirteen district primary health care services are now headed by public health specialist.

Forty state registered Nurses have qualified with Diplomas in Public Health and have assumed the position of District Health Sisters in the thirteen districts.

Ten sisters have been attached to primary health care programmes.

District health management training for all districts health personnel has been conducted.

A number of students visit to countries in the sub region have been facilitated.

3.    The Primary Health Care handbook was revised in 2004 and put to use.

4.    Spear headed the hived out devolved functions to the local council.

5.    The unit has equipped all primary health care programmes have policies, operational guidelines and strategic plans.

6.    The Directorate spearheaded the Ministry’s devolution hived out plans process for the districts.

7.    Included the community-based rehabilitation for the handicapped into the directorate’s list of supervised programmes.

The unit has also done the following;

• Rehabilitation and reconstruction of health facilities and staff quarters
• Provision of equipment and furniture for these facilities
• Facilitate the procurement and supply of essential drugs to the peripheral health units.
• Training of District Health Management Team members and other primary health workers

The unit gives regular supportive supervision of the health workers from the Directorate

It also undertakes the formulation and direction of policies relating to public health nationwide and mobilization of resources from bilateral and multilateral organizations.

 ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

The Directorate of Primary health Care is the largest single division/directorate in the Ministry of Health and deals with about 75% to 80% of the country’s population.

It supports and supervises nine programmes in all the thirteen health districts.

The Directorate now oversees these thirteen health district and a total of seven health programmes as listed below;

Reproductive Health and Family Planning

Health Education Programme

Nutrition Programme

Environmental Health and Sanitation including Medical Waste Disposal

School Health Programme

District Health Services

Maternal and Child Health

Mental Health and

Community Based Rehabilitation.

The Directorate relates well with all health and health related NGOs in the country. The supervisory role of this Directorate demands that we make regular visits up country to ensure that policies are properly implemented at the various levels of supervision.

The Directorate with the new dispensation of devolution has embarked on the following functions;

Oversight, Policy formulation, Capacity building, Advocacy, Resource mobilization, Supportive supervision and Maintenance of health standards