By Prince J. Musa
Officials of Statistics Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) have appealed for cooperation in the ongoing data collection exercise as part of the 2019 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS).
The appeals were made in Kenema District were reports say people are refusing to cooperate with enumerators.
The DHS is an household sample survey periodically conducted to monitor changes in population, health and nutrition status of the people.
Hundreds of enumerators are involved in the data collection exercise which is being conducted across all 16 districts in the country. Some 578 Enumeration Areas (EAs) were randomly selected nationwide, with interviews targeting 72,093 households.
The exercise was scheduled to last for about three months, starting in May. But Statistics Sierra Leone, which is conducting the survey on behalf of the MoHS, is worried that time is against it. And the concerns have been compounded by reports that locals in the eastern region are refusing to cooperate.
But the local authorities blame the Statistics agency for the situation.
Henry Bayon, Paramount Chief of Kpjeh West in Kailahun District, narrated that one of his Section Chiefs complained that they saw people moving around their communities seeking information from the people yet they had no prior knowledge of their presence there. PC Bayon said even he himself had no idea what was happening.
In Kenema, Paramount Chief Member of Parliament, Prince Mambu Pewai of Langaurama PC Mambu said enumerators were making promises to the people that something would be given to them as reward for taking their blood samples. He said this is one of the reasons for the lack of cooperation.
Moses William, Chairman of Statistics Council, the governing body of Statistics Sierra Leone, admitted that the lack of cooperation is partly due to failure of the agency to involve traditional authorities like Paramount Chiefs and he blames it on the apparent lack of proper preparation by the previous management of the agency. Mr William said because his administration inherited the project, they took it up when time was already against them. He added that the funders were already on their neck to move on with it.
The survey entails collection of data on fertility levels and preferences, contraceptive use, maternal and child health, infant child and neonatal mortality level, maternal mortality, among other health details. The enumerators are also collecting blood samples, which has proven to be a major issue.
"We know that taking someone's blood without telling them the essence of taking the blood sample will lead to challenges," Mr William said at a gathering of the 45 Paramount chiefs from across the eastern region.
“Any program that fails to recognize and involve Paramount Chiefs into it is bound to fail,” he added, while apologizing to the traditional leaders for leaving them out in the initial process of the survey.
The meeting was convened in the District Council Hall in Kenema Town.
The 2019 DHS is the third to be conducted in Sierra Leone, after the 2008 and 2013 editions.
© 2019 Politico Online
