By Septimus Senessie in Kono
The Koidu City Council has donated assorted medical equipment to the Koidu Referral Hospital and to the United Methodist Hospital in Jaiama Nimikoro. The items include hospital mattresses and beddings, filing cabinets, oxygen cylinders, wooden chairs, tables and aprons. Donating the items to the two hospitals, the Mayor of Koidu, Saa Emerson Lamina said the materials were provided by the UK branch of the Kono District Descendants Association (KDDA) to compliment the efforts of the government in providing the district with quality health care delivery services. He said that immediately after assuming office, he visited the USA to meet with Kono indigenes where he told them about the numerous challenges the city was facing including in the areas of health and sanitation, poor health care delivery and infrastructure. He said the arrival of the medical equipment was a fulfillment of some of promises given to him during that visit. Mayor Lamina admonished the beneficiary hospitals to use the equipment for the intended purpose, and thanked members of KDDA-UK through their representative who was present at the donation. The Paramount Chief of Nimikoro Chiefdom, PC Aiah Denton Bona Foamansa III also thanked the KDDA for the donation. He said that if the equipment was used for the intended purpose it would help build children with a sound mind to acquire better education in the district. The representative of KDDA-UK, Sia Evelyn Nyandemoh said the materials were previously donated to their organization in the UK by the Ellington Ward of Northwick Hospital, UK to support the health care delivery system of the people of Kono. She said the process of shipping the equipment to Sierra Leone and subsequently to Kono District was challenging and therefore admonished the beneficiaries to make good use of it. The District Medical Officer, Dr. Francis Jayah expressed profound appreciation and promised that they would be properly utilized. He appealed to KDDA to continue “the good job they have started”. The district coordinator of Health Alert, Patrick Mansary also thanked the donors and promised them a close monitoring mechanism for the proper use of the materials.
