In Hangha town, Kenema District, Sierra Leone, MSF built a Mother and Child Hospital and supports the Ministry of Health’s Peripheral Health Units (PHUs) across the district to improve access to specialized and emergency care for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children under five. The hospital’s primary objective is to reduce morbidity and mortality by providing quality medical services, with a strong focus on maternal and child health, while also strengthening the national health system through staff training.
The facility was developed over time, with the paediatric unit built in 2019 and expanded in 2022 to include obstetric services. It now operates as a 180-bed secondary hospital with an emergency room, intensive care unit, general wards, and a therapeutic feeding centre for severely malnourished children. Maternity services include comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care, operating theatres, a neonatal intensive care unit, and a Kangaroo Mother Care unit for premature and low-birthweight babies.
In 2025, MSF began gradually transferring responsibilities and operations of the hospital to the Ministry of Health. Now known as the MSF-supported Government Maternity and Children’s Hospital, Hangha, it is being integrated into the national health system and is expected to serve as a regional referral centre for maternal and child healthcare in the coming years.