By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
In a bid to increase quality medical training for Doctors and other healthcare professionals in Sierra Leone, President Julius Maada Bio in partnership with the American International University has turned the sod for the construction of a medical University at the 34 military hospital in Freetown.
In his opening statement at the event on Monday this week, the Commanding Officer of the Joint Medical Unit at the 34 Military Hospital, Colonel Dr. Stephen Sevallie noted that for the last two to three years, the first Lady Fatima Bio has mobilized resources and transformed the 34 military hospital from a 150 (one hundred and fifty) beds hospital to more than 600 (six hundred) beds including furniture and equipment. He added that they have moved from a 34-bed pediatric unit to a 100 beds unit with a private wing.
He further stated that the hospital has also moved from a 20-bed female surgical ward to 100 beds with a special theatre attached and a dialysis unit for people with kidney failure. He said the new medical university will provide training for Pharmacists, dentists, laboratory technicians, nurses, physicians, and other medical-related technicians.
He concluded that the event will mark a definite transition that the 34 military hospital has been yearning for and also a premier facility for the sub-region.
In his statement, the Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Austin Demby believes that Health is a solid platform not as an end to itself, but a platform for development. He said, they have looked at every life stage in the country, starting with pregnant women, and that they will want to see all the health interventions they have done to influence pregnancies in such a way that all pregnant women delivered safely.
“When that baby was born, we have a responsibility to do all that we can for it to thrive its way to school and also provide health services for them,” he said.
He pointed to data which he said indicated that, Sierra Leone has the lowest reduction in maternal mortality rate in Africa. He also said that they have been able to suppress maternal mortality rate and ranked better than Guinea, Liberia, Kenya, and Nigeria. He hoped other places of work will emulate the good strides the 34 military hospital has initiated.
In his keynote address, President Bio pointed out that, there has been neglect of military infrastructure in the country. He said, when he took over as president of Sierra Leone, some military facilities are so deplorable that there was no starting point.
He further said that, since the country will soon be having another teaching medical university, it shows that they have started somewhere. He said even though he has taken off the military uniform, his training, and discipline still depict military personnel.
President Bio noted that the initiative to construct another medical university demonstrates the power of partnerships and underpins his belief that the private sector has the privilege to deliver quality infrastructure and that government must create the enabling environment for them to succeed. He also stated that health care and education are the pillars of a progressive society and a pathway for elevating poverty and a sustainable future.
He recalled that, since the establishment of the first medical school in 1988 which is the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS), Sierra Leone still has only one medical school which produces 50 Doctors per year in the country. He mentioned the World Health Organization’s (WHO) standard population ratio which indicated that there should be one Doctor to over 1,000 (one thousand) people.
The President, therefore, affirmed that Sierra Leone needs to produce an estimated 5,000 (five thousand) Doctors to meet the WHO Standards Doctors to Population ratio.
He assured of the government’s commitment to support the construction of the medical university.
The signing of an agreement between the First Lady and a representative of the American International University, Dr. Denis Shukla climaxed the event.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (17/05/23)
