By Sorie Ibrahim Fofanah
Residents in the Karena District `headquarter town of Kamakwie, have called on the government to dispatch at least two medical doctors to the northwestern district.
The call came during a two-day government Town Hall engagement held in Kamakwie during which residents were encouraged to express concerns and pose questions to government officials about issues affecting them. The event was held on Tuesday 14 April and attended by local authorities and the public.
One of the attendees explained the challenges that inhabitants within Kamakwie and its surroundings face to access health services, particularly citing the need to have medical doctors. He maintained that Kamakwie hospital was the biggest referral hospital in the distri/ct and should have at least two medical doctors.
In the absence of the Minister of Health at the town hall meeting to respond to questions about health, the Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah, assured the public of government’s commitment to transforming the health sector across the country.
Bah’s promise to take to the health minister all the concerns raised to him.Responding to questions from some people in the hall at the event, Minister of Technical and Higher Education, Ramatulai Wirie (PhD) said that the Sierra Leone Grant-in-Aid (SLG) policy has been revised, now targeting only female students studying Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) courses. The SLG Wurie added also now targets disabled people and vulnerable children.
This policy she said was made as a result of the many challenges government faced in paying university fees for beneficiaries of SLG and that it would now be reserved for only master's and PhD students. She said plans are being made to include undergraduate students, but it will take a little longer to be implemented.
Also speaking at the event, Minister of Trade and Industry, Alpha Ibrahim Sesay assured the people of the district that there is enough fuel in the country amidst the current global fuel crisis which Sesay attributed to the war raging in the Middle East.
He said the government subsidises six Leones per liter, amounting to 2.6 million dollars monthly on fuel subsidies alone.
He also mentioned government’s securing of funds for the construction of two bridges and the government’s desire to secure funds to construct roads in Karene, especially the Makeni-Kamakwie road.
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