By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The site for the construction of the midwifery school in Kenema has been officially handed over to the contractor.
The handing over was done on Friday at a ceremony presided over by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr. Donald Bash-Taqi and the Trading Coordinator for the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Dr. Joseph Edem- Hotah.
Dr Taqi said at the event at the Kenema Government Hospital that the Bio administration recognized the need for the region to have such a facility and that is why they lobbied and secured US$10 million from IDB for the project.
“One way to help manage the maternal and infant mortality rate is to build midwifery school, which will train professionals to handle some of the critical situations during delivery,” he said.
The Minister of State East, Andrew Ansu Fatorma, said the project is part of government's programmes aimed at providing better health care for everyone in the country.
“This government promised not just to care for individuals, but for everyone, with no differentiation based on tribe or region. Therefore, this midwifery school will serve everybody in the country which shows a credible and a responsible leadership,” Fatorma said.
Dr Hotah said it is important for people in the district to take ownership of the project considering the benefit it will bring them once it is completed.
”IDB wants to see that the construction is completed on time and (it) needs quality work to ensure that the fund is used for its intended motive," Dr Hotah said, calling for collective efforts from all stakeholders in the district.
Councilor Mohamed Amadu Sesay promised that the people of Kenema would take proper care of the facility.
“This is one of the demands of the people of Eastern Region... For far too long the people of Kenema have been crying for a midwifery school,” Sesay said.
This new school in Kenema will be the first of its kind in the Eastern Region. Sierra Leone has the highest rates of maternal mortality globally, at 1, 195/100, 000, according to figures from the Ministry of Health. It also ranks among countries with the highest rates of infant mortality at 157/1000. Health ministry officials and experts say this is largely as a result of a range of implementation challenges including the critical shortage of health workers and the skills required to manage obstetric and newborn care.
According to the 2013 Demographic Health Survey, 3000 midwives were needed to ensure adequate care during pregnancy and birth in the country. Before the 2014 Ebola epidemic, the country had less than 100 trained midwives. The epidemic claimed many lives of healthcare providers, among them midwives.
This will be the fourth national midwifery school, after the School of Midwifery in Makeni, the School of Midwifery in Bo and the School of Midwifery in Freetown.
The construction project is under a programme called ‘Save mothers and children program.’ The contractor, HARISS Construction Company, has two years to complete the project.
Under the program there are also other components like capacity building of health workers which will help in reducing the high infant mortality rate in the region. The government is aiming to at least train 280 midwives in the region in the short term.
© 2019 Politico Online
