By Sallieu S, Kanu
FREETOWN, October. 9, 2026 – The Ministry of Health (MoH), in partnership with Doctors with Africa (CUAMM), is advancing plans to strengthen Emergency and High Dependency Unit (HDU) services at the Kenema, Bo and Makeni Regional Hospitals as part of efforts to improve the management of critically ill patients across Sierra Leone.
The initiative was discussed during a high-level engagement held at the Ministry of Health’s conference hall, where stakeholders reviewed infrastructure, equipment, staffing and training requirements needed to enhance emergency care services and expand hospitals’ capacity to manage severe medical conditions closer to patients’ communities.
Discussions focused on establishing functional HDUs and improving accident and emergency services, including emergency assessment, resuscitation and stabilisation, with particular emphasis on maternal and obstetric emergencies.
Participants proposed Kenema Regional Hospital as a model facility for the planned interventions, while technical assessments will be conducted to determine infrastructure requirements at Makeni Regional Hospital. At Bo Regional Hospital, HDU development plans will be aligned with ongoing maternity expansion projects to ensure efficient use of resources and avoid duplication.
The meeting also underscored the need for a coordinated approach to equipping all three hospitals. Technical teams will assess existing equipment and supplies, identify gaps and develop standardised equipment lists tailored to each facility’s service requirements and operational capacity.
Preliminary plans for Kenema Regional Hospital include a 10-bed High Dependency Unit and a six-bed emergency stabilisation area. However, final bed capacities and layouts will be determined following detailed technical assessments, patient caseload reviews, referral trends and available infrastructure.
Stakeholders identified staff training, mentorship and continuous quality improvement as critical components of the programme. Planned training will cover Basic Emergency Care, basic life support, appropriate advanced life support and essential critical care for doctors, nurses and other frontline healthcare workers.
The programme will also include mentorship visits and support for hospital management teams to monitor service quality and strengthen the practical application of newly acquired skills. Discussions further explored extending emergency recognition and stabilisation training to peripheral health facilities within the hospitals’ referral networks.
The Ministry of Health and CUAMM will continue collaborating with hospital management and technical teams to finalise infrastructure designs, equipment needs, cost estimates and implementation schedules based on available funding.
Upcoming activities include site assessments at Kenema and Makeni hospitals, coordination of Bo’s maternity development plans and completion of the training and mentorship framework.
The initiative forms part of broader efforts to strengthen emergency and maternal healthcare services, improve the management of critical conditions and enhance the quality of healthcare delivery at Sierra Leone’s regional hospitals.