Introduction
Health indicators are quantifiable measures of a population used by researchers, policymakers, governments, and non-governmental organizations to summarize the priority areas to ensure healthy communities(Skolnik, 2020). The health indicators differ from country to country depending on a variety of factors, exceptionally economical status. The article explores Sierra Leone as a Web-country of choice.
Image showing the geograhical location of Sierra Leone- adopted fromFree World Maps
Sierra Leone is a coastal West African country with its capital city situated in the Freetown city. Liberia neighbors the government to the East, and Guinea to the North and West. The country size is approximately 27699 square miles, with a population of 7396000(WHO, 2020). Sierra Leone is currently a member of the African Union (AU), and it belongs to the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa region. The World Bank income grouping categorizes the country as Sub-Saharan Low-Income country (LIC)(WHO, 2020). In the last decade, Sierra Leone has been highlighted in global news following the Ebola virus epidemic in 2014-2016. Approximately 8700 people were infected with the deadly virus, with 3590 deaths being recorded over the two years. The country is currently channeling resources to stave off the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), like the rest of the world.
Web-Country: Republic of Sierra Leone
Economy, Natural Resources and Political Climate
The economy of Sierra Leone has been growing steadily since the end of civil wars in the year 2002. The gross domestic product income has doubled over the same period with about 650 PPP dollars in 2002 and approximately 1490 PPP dollar as of 2018(World Bank, n.d.). The growth in the economy can be attributed to a relatively stable political climate in the country in recent years(The Global Economy, n.d.). Also, Sierra Leone is rich in natural resources that have significantly contributed to its growth. The country is geographically located within the tropical rainforest belt; hence it receives high amounts of rainfall promoting agricultural activities. Moreover, the country is rich in minerals such iron ore and diamonds. It is among the top 10 leading exporters of diamond worldwide(The Republic of Sierra Leone, n.d.). The richness in natural resources has been blamed for the political instability in the country. Branded the ‘bloody diamond’, the illegal trade in minerals was presumed to fund rebel groups involved in civil wars. However, through the collective action of the international community, the country achieved political tolerance in 2002 and since then, there have been 3 elections involving multiparty democracy.
Despite the richness in resources, the health system in Sierra Leone is underfunded receiving only 11% of its GDP income in 2014(WHO, 2020). Unsurprisingly, the tropical climate provides favorable climate for breeding of various micro-organisms increasing the burden of communicable diseases. The natural resources present a double-edged sword to the health system of the country. The eradication and successful prevention and control of infections such as malaria is key for health population, reduced mortality and overall economic growth.
Health System
After the civil war in 2002, the Sierra Leone health system was decentralized to correspond to the regional districts. The country has 13 health districts each with an average of 50 peripheral health units (PHUs)(Robinson, 2019). The PHUs are mandated with the provision of primary healthcare(Robinson, 2019). The health system is weak due to the underfunding from the government and the skewed health workforce with majority preferring to work in the urban centers.