By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
A physician at the University of Sierra Leone Teaching Hospital Dr. Sonia Spencer says 75% of children suffering from diseases requiring brain surgery die because the country cannot boast of a single neuro-surgeon.
She made this disclosure during the unveiling of a 25-bed children’s ward at Connaught hospital that was refurbished by Ecobank and named after the late Dr. Robin Coker.
Dr. Spencer said about one hundred (100) children born with hydrocephalus and other neurological problems have checked in at Connaught’s outpatient clinic since 2016.
Dr. Spencer added that every year 500 people suffer head and spinal injuries from road accidents, most of them succumbing to their injuries in the end. She made an appeal to government and other business houses to follow the example of Ecobank and contribute to the procurement of a portable CT scan machine and MRI scanner.
She noted that in September of last year when a paediatric accreditation team from the West African College of Physicians (WACP) was in the country last year, the team lead explained how in 1976 when the college was founded, Dr. Robin Coker represented the country as one of its founding members. She said Dr. Coker whose name was given to the refurbished children’s ward was said to have contributed immensely to the success of the college.
She recounted how Dr. Coker expressed to a WACP delegation his sadness that Sierra Leone has not started a post -graduate training programme in pediatrics. She disclosed that the Ola During Children’s hospital last year gained full accreditation to train paediatricians for the next five years.
‘’The paediatric ward that was named after Dr. Coker at Connaught hospital is a reminder of his commitment to the children of Sierra Leone,’’ she said.
The Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Austin Demby, during the ceremony introduced Dr. Fatu Conteh as the first resident neurosurgeon in the country. He said if they are to build a neurosurgeon facility, they need young people who are going to transform the health sector in the country.
He noted that they are looking forward to supporting Dr. Conteh as she will be working with Dr. Spencer and other senior Doctors in the country. He said they will not relent in making the healthcare of Sierra Leoneans a priority.
The University of Sierra Leone teaching hospital complex was established by an Act of Parliament in March of 2016 to train young doctors to become professionals in the medical field.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (17/06/22)
