By Nasratu Kargbo
Aside from the lack of advanced equipment and poverty in the country, negligence and lack of responsibility on the part of healthcare workers have greatly contributed to the number of maternal and infant mortality rates, according to findings presented by Dr. Ima-Abasi Bassie.
Speaking passionately on the issue, the doctor stressed that some deaths could have been prevented if certain things were done. She made this statement at the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance’s (CHAMPS) National Advisory Forum on the 29th of November 2023 whilst presenting their findings.
With PowerPoint slides of testimonies given, some of the stories included nurses who were busy with their phones instead of attending to kids, even when a mother drew their attention to the state of her child. They only went to attend to the child when they deemed fit, only to see a dead baby.
Another story was of a five-month-old baby boy who was taken to the hospital where a doctor said the child was not breathing well, left, and promised to come back but did not show up. The next day the doctor came and said the child needed oxygen but stated that it was not available because another baby was using it at the time. The baby later died even after oxygen and medicines were administered.
She also explained the story of a twenty-three-year-old mother and her four-day-old baby girl, explaining that despite some problems with both of them; they were discharged the next day. After two days they had to return to the same hospital where the baby was hospitalized due to her size but she later died.
Dr. Bassie stressed that the size of the child was already known before discharge, insisting that a baby of such size had no business going home.
Dr. Bassie spoke of other preventable deaths of mothers and babies that were due to electricity, nurses’ engagement in other activities instead of attending to patients, absence of doctors, no blood in blood banks, no water, and no bed amongst others.
The doctor said all of the testimonies given had nothing to do with state-of-the-art equipment, and therefore called on stakeholders to engage health authorities to find a solution to these problems.
The Deputy Minister of Health Charles Senessie said data is very important in terms of making policies for a country. He said it would be good if the data generated were not kept on shelves but used to solve problems.
He said treating babies can be difficult because they cannot speak, saying the doctor only relies on signs. Speaking from his experience as a doctor, he explained that a lot depends on the state of the child when brought to the hospital, as there are times they can save the children but in some cases, they stand helplessly unable to save them.
Country Director of Crown Agents Habiba Wurie-Assamany urged that they think differently, emphasizing that their face-to-face engagement with events will have a direct impact on their lives. She said Sierra Leoneans are the beneficiaries of the health sector, and urged health workers to approach the discussion with the people in mind.
The theme of the event was “Call to Action: Use of CHAMPS Data for Action, Policy, and Research”, and was aimed at unveiling early research findings and fostering collaborative discussions on reducing stillbirths and child mortality in Sierra Leone.
Copyright © 2023 Politico
