First Lady Launches Africa’s First Uterine Health Fund
In a landmark moment for African women’s healthcare, Her Excellency Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, First Lady of Sierra Leone, officially launched the continent’s inaugural Uterine Health Fund (UHF) on July 25, 2025. The historic ceremony at Freetown’s New Brookfields Hotel marked a decisive step towards addressing a pervasive yet critically neglected aspect of reproductive health impacting millions across the region. This groundbreaking initiative directly confronts the silent epidemic of uterine health conditions, long marginalized within healthcare systems.
Addressing dignitaries, healthcare professionals, and advocates, Dr. Bio powerfully framed uterine health disorders – including debilitating fibroids, chronic pelvic pain, severe menstrual bleeding, and persistent untreated infections – as a “silent crisis systematically overlooked in health policies, professional training, and essential budgets for far too long.” She underscored the fundamental connection between uterine health and overall maternal wellbeing, declaring, “Reproductive care remains tragically incomplete until uterine health is properly counted, robustly funded, and effectively delivered. Today, Sierra Leone begins to correct that profound injustice.”
The urgent need for intervention is starkly highlighted by research from Youterus Health, revealing that one in three women in Sierra Leone suffers from uterine complications. Countless endure not only excruciating physical pain but also profound social stigma and systemic barriers preventing access to essential diagnostic services and appropriate treatment. The UHF is designed as a comprehensive response. Its ambitious first-year targets include subsidizing diagnosis and surgical procedures for over 500 women annually through a network of accredited clinics and providing critical, life-saving surgical interventions for at least 50 women suffering from severe, complex fibroids. Beyond surgery, the fund’s scope extends to covering vital treatments for related infections and anaemia, while simultaneously investing in the future through specialized training programs for healthcare providers and community health navigators to enhance local capacity and awareness.
Conceived by visionary Sierra Leonean public health advocate Fatou Wurie, the UHF employs an innovative blended finance model. This strategic approach harnesses philanthropic donations, active private sector investment, and formal government partnerships to ensure sustainability and scale. A distinctive feature is the inclusion of a dedicated “Compassion Reserve,” specifically allocated to alleviate practical barriers by covering transportation costs and subsidizing partial surgery expenses for the most vulnerable women, ensuring financial hardship doesn’t preclude access to care.
Dr. Bio, leveraging her influential role as President of the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), issued a compelling call to action. She urged government ministries, international development partners, frontline healthcare workers, and the domestic and international private sector to rally behind the fund. “Every contribution, every gesture of support, counts profoundly in transforming the lives of our mothers, sisters, and daughters,” she emphasized. “This initiative transcends healthcare; it is fundamentally about securing justice, restoring dignity, and safeguarding the health of generations yet unborn.”
Praising Fatou Wurie’s leadership in establishing the fund within Sierra Leone, the First Lady characterized the launch as not merely a national achievement but a pivotal moment for women’s health across Africa. “We stand here today not simply initiating another project,” Dr. Bio stated, “but actively transforming the very paradigm of how women’s essential health needs are prioritized, financed, and met within our societies.”
By launching the Uterine Health Fund, Sierra Leone boldly positions itself at the vanguard of advancing reproductive health equity in Africa. This initiative signals the dawn of a transformative era in healthcare – one rigorously guided by data, uncompromisingly committed to equity, and deeply rooted in respect for the inherent dignity of every woman.