Disseminating information on the free healthcare initiative to communities and the effect on health outcomes in western rural Sierra Leone

This research is geared towards understanding the flow of information on the free health care initiative, and the effect on health outcomes in communities around the western rural district of Sierra Leone. This study focused on how information disseminated to beneficiaries about the free health care initiative affects the level of facility utilization, and the effect on maternal and child health. This study was undertaken at peripheral health units and their respective catchment communities in the western rural district of Sierra Leone. This research was conducted on a selected group of people: pregnant women, lactating mothers, and mothers with children under the age of five years.A quantitative method was adopted in this study because of its flexibility, and validity of the kind of result it will provide. There were two sets of questionnaires designed for data collection: a PHU questionnaire, which is meant for the interview of facility staff in charge, and the beneficiary questionnaire that is meant for the interview of the different categories of beneficiaries in the different selected communities.The results of this research have revealed that the primary means of effective communication is through the radio. There has been some improvement in the maternal and child health over the last six years as well as an increase in facility utilization, and a drop in the number of maternal and child deaths. In addition, this research points to several gaps in the health sector in Sierra Leone, which affected the delivery of the free health care delivery in Sierra Leone.