The ACC North-East Region Office has engaged In-Charges of various peripheral health units across Bombali District at a meeting in Makeni. The ACC Senior Public Education Officer Abdulai Saccoh recognized the "enduring sacrifice” of the health workers in delivery primary health care to inhabitants in remote communities.
According to press release from the commission, Saccoh reminded them of the nurses’ code of ethics which require them to prioritize saving lives over unprincipled acts. He mentioned some unethical practices often displayed by some health practitioners that have resulted to the loss of lives from curable diseases. Saccoh emphasized that such dishonest behavior have not only breached public trust but have the propensity to undermine the country’s prospect to attain goal three of the Sustainable Development Goals ‘Good health and well-being’. The Senior Public Education Officer recounted on number of interventions that have been undertaken to make primary health care affordable and accessible but achieving them remains a challenge.
Saccoh catalogued a number of corruption safeguards that would improve the delivery of primary health care such as sustained monitoring of health facilities, appropriate use of public/donor funds/properties, enforce the use of stock card in handling free health care drugs, report theft of drugs and supplies, illegal charges for birth delivery and vaccination cases to the appropriate authority. He admonished them to imbibe the values of impartiality, integrity, selflessness, transparency and accountability in the discharge of their duties.
Addressing the health workers, ACC Public Education Officer Abdul Karim Bangura described the engagement as a platform to educate them on the adverse consequences of corruption, attempt to correct some of the misunderstandings, misperceptions, and misconceptions about the Commission, it operations and enlisted their support in the fight against corruption. Bangura averred that the Commission does not work in isolation but collaboratively with other pillars of integrity to combat the scourge. He asserted that a country development aspirations can only be attained when it population is hale and hearty. Bangura acknowledged that corrupt practices have hindered efficient service delivery in almost every sector of society. The Public Education Officer that called on Sierra Leoneans not to continue to be bedfellows with the corrupt as their acts have resulted to misery and lamentation.
Earlier, District Health Management Team (DHMT), Head of Monitoring and Evaluation, Zaninab Conteh commended the Commission for its strides to improve service delivery in public sector institutions across the country. She appealed to the In-Charges to take ACC message seriously and support the fight against corruption for the good of all Sierra Leoneans.
An interactive session formed the high point of the engagement.
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