By Mabinty M. Kamara
President Julius Maada Bio on Thursday opened the newly reconstructed King Harman Road hospital, which has been upgraded to a full-fledged Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital.
The 68-bed facility, located in Brookfields, Freetown, is expected to ease pressure on the country’s main maternity hospital, Princess Christian Maternity Hospital, commonly known as Cottage. Cottage is located in the eastern part of the city, while King Harman Road Hospital is located in the west end.
The construction was funded by the Government of Sierra Leone in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DfID), under its Saving Lives Program.
During the opening of the hospital, President Bio said it was part of his programs to provide better health for women and children in the country.
“The thrust of this New Direction Government is increasing access to quality health services for all the population, particularly mothers, children and the elderly. Today marks another milestone in the delivery of my promise to the people of Sierra Leone. I feel so gratified to commission the King Harman Maternal and Child Hospital as a Center of Excellence for the delivery of quality healthcare services,” he said.
He added: “We have tackled head-on the gross inadequate human resource in health by increasing the present number of health staff by 4,000. We have increased the national budget allocation to health from 8.9 to 11.6%.”
Dr Kim Dickson, Country Representative for the UNFPA, said she was honored to witness the official commissioning of the newly constructed Maternal and Child Health Hospital.
The UK High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, Simon Mustard, also expressed his satisfaction on the productivity of the collaboration between the UK and the Sierra Leone government. Mustard said the hospital will help save lives of women and children.
Dr. Alpha Tejan Wurie, Minister of Health and Sanitation, said that the event was the start to getting a reliable and efficient health sector that would be capable of providing quality healthcare delivery to the people of Sierra Leone. He also said the ministry would provide the staff the required training and coaching on quality improvement in maternal, new-born and child health to ensure the hospital fulfills its mandate.
This is not the first intervention in the health sector by the Bio administration. The government has already launched the National Emergency Medical Services which have had over 4,000 referrals to date.
The government is also keen on establishing the National Medical Diagnostic and Treatment Center. The President said a budget has already been allocated to that endeavor.
© 2019 Politico Online
