Preliminary report of Sierra Leone’s 2013 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) was launched on 28 January 2014 by Dr Keifala Mara, Minister of Finance and Economic Development in Freetown. The report was launched in a gathering of a cross section of the public and government officials, development partner including the UN, the donor community, civil society and other strategic partners.

The report presents some of the key findings of the 2013 DHS that was conducted by Statics Sierra Leone in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. The survey provides information on a variety of health and population indicators relating to fertility trends, family planning, maternal and child health, childhood mortality, nutrition and child feeding practices, and maternal mortality and HIV/AIDS.

The survey was conducted to provide evidence based information for policy action and programme design and implementation to improve services. It was funded by the government of Sierra Leone and various UN agencies including WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF, donors including DFID, the World Bank and other development partners.

While launching the report, Dr Mara noted that the timeliness of the report is critical to monitor and evaluate the achievement of the goals and targets established within national and international development frameworks, such as the Millennium Development Goals and the country’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. Meanwhile the Minister of Health and Sanitation, Madam Miatta Kargbo encouraged end users of the report including researchers, state institutions and development partners to make good use of the information in the final report in order to fulfill institutional and national development aspirations. “It is only by so doing that the health sector will be able to realize its defined goals and objectives”, she added.

Representing the United Nations Country Team, the UNPFA Representative in Sierra Leone Dr. Bannet Ndyanabangi reiterated the importance of the data being provided by the survey to guide policy actions in addressing priority health matters. He reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations and its continued support to the government’s development agenda

The final and comprehensive report of the 2013 DHS is expected to be published later this year. Data from the survey was collected using sets of standardized questionnaires designed to provide reliable information on the country as a whole.

DHS is an internationally acknowledged survey designed to obtain information on health related issues that affect the management and devel-opment of the population. The first DHS was conducted in Sierra Leone in 2008.

Sierra Leone launches 2013 Demographic and Health Survey preliminary report