Available healthcare and health status in Sierra Leone is rated very poorly. Globally, infant and maternal mortality rates remain among the highest.[1] The major causes of illness within the country are preventable with modern technology and medical advances. Most deaths within the country are attributed to nutritional deficiencies, lack of access to clean water, pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, anemia, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
The Human Rights Measurement Initiative[2] finds that Sierra Leone is fulfilling 62.1% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to health based on its level of income.[3] When looking at the right to health with respect to children, Sierra Leone achieves 76.8% of what is expected based on its current income.[4] In regard to the right to health amongst the adult population, the country achieves only 67.3% of what is expected based on the nation's level of income. [5] Sierra Leone falls into the "very bad" category when evaluating the right to reproductive health because the nation is fulfilling only 42.3% of what the nation is expected to achieve based on the resources (income) it has available.[6]