Freetown trains frontline health workers to tackle growing heat-health risks

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 15 July 2026:

Freetown City Council (FCC), in partnership with HB Ltd, the Ministry of Health’s Directorate of Environmental Health and the District Health Management Team, has launched a two-day training programme aimed at strengthening the capacity of frontline healthcare workers to respond to heat-related illnesses.

The training, which commenced on 14 July, has brought together 35 healthcare professionals and forms part of efforts to improve community resilience against the increasing health impacts of extreme heat in the city.

Participants are being equipped with the knowledge and skills to recognise, treat and manage heat-related illnesses, raise public awareness of heat-health risks, prepare for extreme heat events through early warning systems, and strengthen the collection of data on heat-related illnesses.

The initiative is part of the C40 Cities-supported project, “Enhancing Heat-Health in Freetown,” which seeks to improve the city’s preparedness for the growing challenges posed by climate change.

Key project deliverables include establishing and operationalising a Heat Health Task Force, training 500 healthcare workers, conducting a baseline assessment of heat-health risks, developing communication tools and heat response protocols, and implementing a citywide community engagement and awareness campaign.

The programme also seeks to integrate heat-health into routine healthcare delivery, building a more resilient health system capable of protecting vulnerable populations.

Speaking at the opening of the training, Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, OBE, described extreme heat as the deadliest climate-related threat facing communities today.

She said the city’s response would focus on two priorities: reducing urban temperatures through nature-based solutions, including tree planting, and strengthening support for people most vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat.

Beyond its health impacts, extreme heat is costing Freetown billions in economic losses each year, with women operating in the city’s open-air markets among those most affected due to prolonged exposure to high temperatures.

To reduce the impact of extreme heat on livelihoods, several interventions are being implemented by FCC. These include the Market Shade Cover Project at the Congo Town, Bombay and Calaba Town markets, which has provided shade and improved working conditions for more than 2,300 women vendors.

Freetown is also expanding nature-based solutions, including tree planting to reduce urban temperatures, improving access to clean and safe drinking water for informal workers, and constructing the Hannah-Benjamin Coker Street Heat Pavilion, which combines ecological and structural features to provide cooling and protection from extreme heat.

Freetown also adopted its first-ever Heat Action Plan in 2024, a multi-year strategy that outlines ambitious targets for reducing heat risks and strengthening climate resilience.

The city has also appointed Africa’s first Chief Heat Officer to coordinate and lead city-level actions to address the growing challenge of extreme heat.

Globally, heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense. Freetown is increasingly vulnerable due to rapid urbanisation, limited green spaces and fragile health infrastructure.

Despite the growing threat, heat-related illnesses including heat exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke remain under-recognised and are not routinely reported within Sierra Leone’s health system.

Recognising the critical role of Peripheral Health Units (PHUs) as the first point of care, Dr Sylvia Fasululu, District Medical Officer, and Dr Doris Bah of the Ministry of Health’s Directorate of Environmental Health expressed appreciation to FCC and C40 Cities for supporting the training.

They underscored the importance of institutionalising heat-health within healthcare services and investing in a better understanding of how climate change is affecting the health and well-being of residents.

The training sessions cover key topics including the recognition and clinical management of heat-related illnesses, identifying vulnerable populations and risk factors, understanding heat trends in Freetown and their physiological impacts, community engagement and risk communication, as well as strengthening health facility preparedness and emergency response.