Sierra Leone has become the second African country and fifth globally to launch a national Universal Health Preparedness Review (UHPR) aimed at improving health emergency preparedness and response while strengthening the health system's capacity to provide quality universal healthcare. The UHPR was proposed by the Central African Republic and Benin in response to the challenges of COVID-19 and was launched by the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in October 2020. Sierra Leone's Vice-President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, launched the review process to identify gaps and reinforce measures against health shocks. Under the UHPR, countries commit to voluntary, regular, and transparent peer reviews of their national health emergency preparedness capacities. Sierra Leone's Minister of Health, Dr. Austin H. Demby, emphasized the importance of a resilient health system and expressed the country's willingness to learn from the review process. The UHPR engages all sectors of government and society to examine best practices, gaps, and challenges in three areas of health response: governance, systems and financing for health emergencies, and universal health coverage. The UHPR aims to enhance global health security by supporting countries to protect themselves, their neighbors, and the world.
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