Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, on Tuesday, 13th October 2026, held high-level discussions with a delegation from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on fixing Sierra Leone’s broken health financing system and building a more resilient healthcare system that does not crush ordinary citizens.
The closed-door engagement at the Office of the Vice President focused on three critical pillars: strengthening sustainable health financing, increasing domestic resource mobilisation, and advancing deep reforms aimed at reducing dependence on foreign aid and improving healthcare delivery.
Briefing the delegation, Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh reaffirmed the Bio administration’s commitment to introducing sustainable financing mechanisms that would improve healthcare delivery and reduce the financial burden on citizens seeking essential medical services.
He disclosed that the Health Financing Steering Committee, which operates directly under his office, is leading the reforms.
“Through the Health Financing Steering Committee under my office, we are driving reforms to strengthen domestic resource mobilisation, attract investment, and build a more resilient health system,” Vice President Jalloh stated.
The Vice President also commended UNECA for championing the Tangier Declaration, which promotes sustainable health financing and stronger domestic investment in healthcare across Africa. He described the engagement as an important opportunity to strengthen collaboration and explore practical, home-grown solutions to Sierra Leone’s long-term healthcare financing challenges.
In a frank presentation, the Chief of Staff of UNECA highlighted the urgent need for increased Government investment in healthcare, noting that sustainable financing remains the backbone of public health and national development.
The UNECA Chief of Staff reminded the Government of the Abuja Declaration of 2001, under which African Union member states committed to allocate at least 15% of their annual national budgets to the health sector.
He revealed that Sierra Leone’s current health budget allocation stands at approximately 6% – less than half of the continental benchmark.
According to him, this underinvestment explains why the country’s health system remains fragile, why hospitals lack drugs and equipment, and why citizens continue to die from preventable diseases.
He further disclosed a damning continental statistic: households bear approximately 60% of healthcare expenditure across Africa, meaning families are forced to pay out of pocket for treatment while governments underfund the sector.
“This situation highlights the financial pressure faced by families in accessing medical treatment and other essential health services,” the UNECA official said.
To address the gaps, UNECA announced plans to undertake a comprehensive health financing survey to assess the respective contributions of Governments and households towards healthcare and health insurance.
The survey, he explained, will provide hard data on existing financing arrangements, identify gaps, and support the development of policies aimed at improving affordability, accessibility and insurance coverage.
He maintained that strengthening health financing would not only lead to healthier populations but also enable Governments to monitor progress, identify challenges and make evidence-based decisions.
For Sierra Leone, where patients are still asked to buy gloves and pay for beds before treatment, where health workers often go on strike over poor conditions, and where donor funding accounts for a huge chunk of the health budget, the engagement signals a shift towards self-reliance.
Sources at State House said the Vice President’s focus on domestic resource mobilisation is critical at a time when global health aid is shrinking and Sierra Leone needs to fund its own health insurance scheme.
The meeting ended with renewed commitment from both sides to deepen cooperation in advancing health financing reforms, promoting investment, and supporting the development of a more accessible, affordable and resilient healthcare system for every Sierra Leonean.
The question now is whether the 6% will move to 15% in the 2027 budget.