By Fasalie Sulaiman Kamara
Deputy health minister, Dr. Abubakarr Fofanah has told a one-day workshop for Diasporans that Sierra Leone has one of the most deplorable health indicators in the world.
Speaking at the Njala Avenue in Freetown, he said the rates of infant, under-five and maternal deaths were high, adding that to address the declining health and social welfare indicators government had embarked on a health sector reform programme.
Dr Fofanah said that whilst those actions had been instrumental, human resource was the epicenter of the health system without which health infrastructure, equipment, drugs and medical supplies would be inefficient and precarious. He said three of the Millennium Development Goals were directly related to health.
The minister lamented that the country was losing 80 professionals in the health sector every year because of the lack of a specialist training facility in the country, adding that since independence Sierra Leone had remained over-reliant on medical specialist training in countries like Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Cameroon. He acknowledged the contributions of the Sierra Leone Diaspora to the country and called on them to do more.
The regional migration health specialist of the International Organisation for Migration, Dr. Jean Francois Aguilera, said a lot of Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora were willing to work in the country if the conducive working environment was created.
“A research conducted by IMO shows that Sierra Leoneans are willing to work for Sierra Leone”, but stressed that the research also revealed that a lot of Diasporans lacked confidence in the government.
He called on government to provide the conducive working environment for Sierra Leoneans from the Diaspora, adding that some of the findings pointed to the fact that there was need to restore confidence in Sierra Leoneans abroad so they could return home.
Dr Aguilera said that could be achieved through the provision of affordable housing, employment, transportation and other social incentives.
Deputy minister of political and public affairs, Karamoh Kabba said government recognised the Diaspora community that was why a special office was set up for them.
(C) Politico 17/12/13
