The State of Healthcare Access in Freetown’s Informal Settlements

Abstract

Unequal access to healthcare exacerbates poor health due to their living conditions of those living in informal settlements across Freetown. This issue brief provides an insight into the current state of healthcare provision in Freetown’s informal settlements. The Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre (SLURC) in partnership with Future Health Systems (FHS) recently completed a study in four informal settlements in Freetown to understand how living conditions relate to key health concerns of communities. The study also looked at whether socio-economic conditions of people living in informal settlements affect their access to health service provision. Two of the communities, Moyiba and Dwarzark are located on hillsides, while the two others, Cockle Bay and Portee-Rokupa are coastal communities.