Today WHO Sierra Leone released its latest Progress Report, which documents achievements and lessons learned across the health sector over the course of 2016. This was a milestone year as the country strove to advance the post-Ebola Presidential Recovery Priorities (PRPs) as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The PRPs entered their second phase in 2016 and include commitments to:

1. Save the lives of 600 women and 5000 children;
2. Prevent, detect, and respond to epidemics and ensure zero cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD); and
3. Deliver continuous care for Ebola-affected persons and Survivors.

WHO has been supporting the Ministry and working with partners – nationally, in the districts and communities - to translate these goals into tangible health gains. To such effect, key achievements from the course of the year include:

• A ‘Resilient Zero’ was sustained since January 2016 with no new confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease;
• A new Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) programme was successfully instigated at the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital, which is showing promising results in improving emergency care for women and newborns;
• 14 800 pregnant women were reached with health information on antenatal care and institutional deliveries;
• More than 90 percent coverage was secured for major vaccines, from measles to polio and yellow fever;
• 14 Rapid Response Teams were mobilized to support effective outbreak response;
• Community Based Surveillance and electronic reporting has been rolled out to improve detection of outbreaks and other public health events;
• Over 8000 healthcare workers have been trained in Infection Prevention and Control;
• A successful Human Resources for Health (HRH) Summit and Profile paved the way for the creation of the HRH Strategy which will be launched in 2017, alongside the new National Health Sector Strategic Plan;
• The Comprehensive Programme for Ebola Survivors was rolled out across the country, which seeks to reach approximately 3030 Survivors of Ebola Virus Disease with free and accessible clinical care.

Read about these achievements, lessons learned and much much more here.