By Nasratu Kargbo
Sierra Leone’s unmet surgical needs is about 91%, according to the Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh.
He made this statement on the 4th of March 2024, whilst speaking at the 64th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the West African College of Surgeons (WACS).
The VP acknowledged that such a status is unacceptable,
and stressed Government’s commitment to ensure expanded access to quality surgical services to Sierra Leoneans across the country, regardless of their income.
“As we all know unmet surgical needs are not only a problem in Sierra Leone but across the West African sub- region and the world in general. Five billion people, almost 70 percent of the world’s population lack access to safe, affordable surgical and anesthetic care”, the vice president said.
He noted that the poor suffer disproportionately;explaining that low income countries make up 35 percent of the world’s population and that only 3.5percent of the surgical procedures performed globally occur in these low income countries. “At this point, we must work together to tackle this deficit in our own countries and across the sub-region”.
Emphasizing the relevance of partnership, The VP cited that surgeons flew into Sierra Leone from different parts of the world such as Italy, Liberia, Senegal and USA to offer their expertise to victims of the Wellington fuel tanker explosion. He added that Sierra Leonean surgeons provided emergency surgical care to victims who suffered from explosions in Guinea and Liberia and that due to partnership, the country has benefited from West African College of Surgeons(WACS) outreach team, which performed one hundred and fifty specialized surgeries to vulnerable communities in Freetown, Kenema, Makeni and Kono.
He said continuous collaboration and knowledge sharing amongst healthcare professionals across West Africa and the world is vital to the commitment to deliver healthcare services.
The VP said that the country is lagging behind in medical education, but that postgraduate medical education is now gaining the momentum it deserves.
He said they are proud of the gains they’ve made but equally aware of the work that still needs to be done. He said they will increase training of specialist and non-specialist medical doctors in surgery and obstetrics in order to ensure a diverse surgical work force nationwide.
The Minister of Health and Sanitation Dr. Austin Demby explained of plans to engage in the adaptation and implementation of the National Surgical, Obstetric and Anesthesia Plan, to ensure equitable access to surgical care across the country.
He spoke about the strides they’ve made as a government and what they intend doing to ensure no Sierra Leonean is left behind in terms of health services.
The minister said like many countries in West Africa the country faces numerous challenges in healthcare delivery, especially in the aspect of surgery. He highlighted limited resources, infrastructure gap and shortage of skilled health care professionals as being hindrances to offering timely and surgical care.
He said the theme of the conference: “Access to safe and affordable surgical and anesthesia care in West Africa”, resonates with the country’s commitment to improving healthcare services for citizens.
The President of the West African College of Surgeons Professor Ezeome Emmanuel said activities related to the conference included a free surgical outreach, which he said is a way of fulfilling their corporate social responsibility to the citizens of the host country. He explained that this year they partnered with surgeons within and outside West Africa to deliver quality care to underserved areas in the country. Sierra Leone last hosted the conference fifteen years ago.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (11/03/24)
