Residents of Bonthe receive the speed boat ambulance
By Kemo Cham
The Sierra Leone government this week announced the commissioning of a landmark boat ambulance for the neglected Bonthe Island as part of effort to boost access to health care to the people of the remote southern region.
The speed boat which was unveiled last week, according to a statement from the Ministry of Finance, was procured with financial support from the World Bank, through the Integrated Projects Administrative Unit (IPAU) of the Ministry.
The Bank, through its Reproductive and Child Health Project, seeks to increase utilization of a package of essential health services by pregnant and lactating women, and children under the age of five. These collectively constitute the very same group targeted by the government’s epileptic free healthcare programme.
Bonthe, a former slave trading post on the southern most edge of Sierra Leone, is one of the most under-developed parts of the country. It comprises of a mainland and an island. Life is worse off for the islanders who are constrained by lack of transportation facilities. Health campaigners have attributed this to a high rate of maternal deaths in the district.
The Bonthe District Health Management Team (DHMT) will be in charge of the boat.
The boat will increase the DHMT’s service coverage and timely response to primary health services for the people, said Alpha Sesay, Project Coordinator at the IPAU.
Sierra Leone is ranked among countries with the worst record of maternal and child mortality.
This, said Ayodeji Akala, World Bank Task Team Leader, has been the case primarily because women either had poor access to medical services or access it too late. She said the provision of the boat was an opportunity to not only to help identify cases that needed early treatment, but also to transfer such cases to the appropriate levels of service in timely manner.
She also implored the stakeholders to use the boat for its intended purpose and ensure that it was maintained in proper condition.
Dr. SAS Kargbo, Director of Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Health, said the development called for celebration. Improvement of emergency medical services was a key deliverable required to achieve the government’s healthcare priorities, he said.
© Politico 20/07/16
