Persons with disabilities’ access to Sierra Leone’s health services

In 2020, Impel worked with Montrose to conduct a context analysis focused on persons with disabilities’ access to health services in Sierra Leone. The purpose of the study was to better understand the context, barriers and enablers with respect to persons with disabilities accessing health services in Sierra Leone, including: the process used to identify and diagnose impairments in Sierra Leone; how persons with disabilities are formally registered; the referral pathway(s) that exist between institutions and/ or within communities; current health services available to persons with disabilities in Sierra Leone, including mainstream services, impairment specific services in mainstream institutions and disability targeted health services; key actors and stakeholders for persons with disabilities in health services.

The study provides a valuable snapshot of Sierra Leone’s health services as experienced by persons with disabilities; it has also proved a useful guide for future action and research by the Government of Sierra Leone and its partners. The full study report is available here; the summary brief is available here.