Toshpa
Getting to know us
We are a non-political, volunteer-driven think-tank and relief organization of Sierra Leonean health professionals based abroad. Our mission is to build healthier communities in Sierra Leone by strengthening health systems, improving access to care, and supporting policy and practice reforms inspired by local needs.
Our vision: A Sierra Leone in which high-quality health care is accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Our values:
Compassion & service
Accountability & transparency
Collaboration & community empowerment
Innovation & evidence-based solutions
About Us
Why TOSHPA
The legacy of the ten years of rebel war in Sierra Leone has left the country with additional problems and many diseases, including HIV/Aids, water and food borne and serious material deprivation to many large parts of the countryside.
In 2003, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone embarked on radical health reforms with the publication of its health policy in order to “maintain and improve the health of all Sierra Leoneans residents within the country”. After more than fourteen (14) years, healthcare services provisions have improved to some extent from a delivery capacity perspective from 5-10% during the war conflict to 40-50%.
Notwithstanding these improvements, delivery on policy’s key priorities (disease specific in nature: malaria, STI, including HIV/AIDS, unsatisfactory reproductive health, including maternal and neonatal mortality, acute respiratory infections, childhood immunisable diseases, nutrition-related disease, water, food and sanitation-borne diseases, disability and mental illness) hasn’t yet made any impact on morbidity and mortality (improvements in reducing mortality rates from communicable, food and water borne and other preventable diseases). This, combined with the legacy of the war, has resulted in too many funerals in Sierra Leone compared to the 80s. Current gaps between healthcare policy and practice and resources’ issues, therefore, need a multifaceted but coordinated approach in order to meet the changing disease patterns and demography in the country.
The Government has recognised, for a while, that current healthcare provision and regulation do not meet the needs of the country and there is a need to re-examine healthcare structures in order to ensure there is ” effective decentralisation, partnership between public and private, including non-governmental organisations and greater transparency of decision making”. The Government is also keen to “take steps to encourage the return of Sierra Leonean healthcare professionals currently working outside of the health sector or outside of the country” and TOSHPA welcomes this concept.
TOSHPA is keen to work with the Sierra Leonean, UK and other Governments and NGOs to establish formal links between the Sierra Leonean Diaspora members in UK with SL healthcare establishment through ‘A Diaspora Network Links’. See TOSHPA’s Articles and Memorandum of Association and Development Strategy for more information and thanks very much for taking the time to access our website.
Our Objectives
- Establish and maintain TOSHPA Chapters around the world and an operational head office in the UK that will coordinate the activities of the organization.
- Contribute in improving healthcare policy development and delivery of healthcare provision for the benefit of the people living in Sierra Leone that have little or no access to such health service provisions.
- Contribute to the reduction of the spread of preventable diseases and mortality rates in Sierra Leone in such ways as may be thought fit, through education, training, and assistance in providing required resources.
- Provide health care professionals with career enhancing information and contribute to raising public awareness on what matters to their health through the independent publication of information on health and healthcare issues, latest national and international health service news, and evidence-based practice.
- Provide humanitarian relief in areas affected by illicit mining/ natural disasters and other man-made atrocities.
- Carry out any other business activities, which may be advantageously carried out, in the opinion of the Executive Committee, in connection with, or ancillary to the general business of the organization.