By Mohamed Macarthy
In a bid to enable pregnant women access electricity, a company named We Care Solar (WCS) in partnership with the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) formally launched the We Care Solar initiative on the 10th December 2021 at the Kimbima Hotel in Freetown.
The initiative is geared towards promoting safe motherhood deliveries, reducing maternal mortality in communities by providing health workers with reliable power supply, so they would be able to use medical and communication devices using solar gadgets.
Feza Greene of WCS said the service they provide is fully efficient and effective in Sierra Leone, Uganda, Liberia and Zimbabwe. She said they are planning to extend their services to other countries in Africa in order to ensure the spate of maternal mortality was reduced drastically in the continent.
She disclosed that WSC has been operating in Sierra Leone since 2012 and had worked closely with partners from the MoHs, UNFPA, and Medical Research Centre during Ebola.
Feza noted that to date a total of 505 solar suitcases had been installed in different health facilities across the country.
Country Director for WCS, Fatmata Legg commended their implementing partners for their collaborative efforts in their quest for women in Sierra Leone be given adequate solar energy facility before, during and after delivery.
Legg noted that they launched the Light Every Birth (LEB) in 2017 with the Ministry of Energy, MoHS and other partners to install 1,146 solar lights at Public health facilities which is a milestone to WCS.
She said WCS is prepared to uplift maternal- newborn care to ensure that every public health facility has continuous power for safe deliveries.
The Acting Medical Officer, Dr. Sartie Kenneh in commending WCS for their efforts, also acknowledged the issue of pregnant women still giving birth in the dark and in remote areas. He said that has been worrisome and with far-reaching effects on the child even when growing up.
He however admitted he was very much concerned about the sustainability of this laudable venture by WCS and hoped it will be available in extreme deprived communities across the country.
Politician and Global Advisory Board Member for WCS, Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella said the intervention by WSC is very much essential and timely. He spoke of having heard instances where surgeries are done using mobile phones lights and local lamps in the interior.
He said that it is very sad such an ugly development is still practiced in our society, considering the global trend in which the world is moving towards ensuring reliable electricity is provided at every public health facility.
Yumkella urged the government to give adequate support in terms of repairing those suitcases of WCS that had already been installed in those public health units across the country. He said more needs to be done in ensuring that WCS reaches the unreached.
The Deputy Minister of Health Sanitation 1, Dr. Anthony A. Sandi in his statement pointed out that access to reliable and sustainable energy supply in health centres across the country is fundamental to the ministry during major and minor surgeries.
Dr. Sandi assured WCS that the ministry’s doors are always open for whatever development programmes that could strengthen the capacity of WCS across the country.
The Deputy Minister of Energy, Dr. Eldred Tunde Taylor said energy ministry is very committed in ensuring WCS’ interventions take centre stage in some of their developmental strides.
He promised that WCS will be given duty waiver for their shipments
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