By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The Medical Superintendent at the Kenema Government Hospital, Dr. Ibrahim Kapuwa has on the 30th July 2021 disclosed that doctors transferred to the hospital do not have the required accommodation and environment to do their job.
Dr. Kapuwa told Politico that doctors posted to the district are not provided with the required accommodation, and described the situation as a major reason why most medical practitioners have refused to come to the provinces to work.
He said some have had to stay in some dwellings that lack the proper environment to rest after end of day’s work, and that some live in faraway settlements and as a result, do encounter challenges in responding to emergencies.
The medical superintendent stated that they have written a letter to the Senior District Officer in Kenema for quarters but are yet to get a response and cited the case of a dentist who refused to be sent to the Kenema hospital because there was no proper housing facility in place. The entire Kenema has no dentist, he stated, and said people have to travel to Bo for dentistry treatment. He said there are two doctors presently with no lodging and who have to put up with some community health officers, an experience which he said, can demotivate them as health professionals.
Dr. Kapuwa called on stakeholders in Kenema to intervene and warned that doctors will continue to refuse going to the place if their accommodation needs were not addressed. He expressed concern over the continued occupation of government quarters by retired civil servants or relatives of deceased government workers.
Dr. Kapuwa however recommended to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and development partners the need to construct dwelling houses for health workers, and avoid the situation of doctors having to pay rent on their own.
When contacted, the Senior District Officer Kenema, William Ngebai confirmed that there are huge problems regarding allocation of quarters to government workers in Kenema, but again argued that based on statistics, health workers are staying in most of the government houses.
He said other government workers have applied for accommodation but admitted that the available government facilities are not enough to take them all. He stated that occupants of the quarters are government workers, and cannot be evicted. He said housing is inadequate and highlighted the need for the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning to construct more homes for those government workers that are in need of accommodation.
At last week’s government press conference in Freetown, the Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, Dr. Turad Senesie disclosed plans by the government to construct affordable housing settlements in Freetown Bo, Makeni and Kenema. Kenema is to get 1,500 housing units from the scheme. However it will be an overseas private sector investment initiative and the homes are to be bought through a mortgage scheme, with provisions for security personnel and public sector workers.
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