By Theresa Kef Sesay
A 13 bed treatment facility equipped with necessary accessories including ventilators was on the 28 May 2020 commissioned at the 34 Military Hospital. This facility will be used as an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for critically ill COVID-19 patients. This is a joint United Nations project done with technical coordination from UNFPA while WFP designed and built the facility along with a 250KVA generator and procurement of supplies. This $120,000 project was funded was by the United Kingdom through DFID.
Speaking at the ceremony on behalf of the United Nations, the Resident Coordinator, Mr. Sunil Saigal said that the facility is part of the ongoing support by the UN to the Government of Sierra Leone in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to mitigate the impact of the disease.
In his statement, the representative of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Mathew Vandi described the facility as timely, adding “this will boost the response of Government in the fight against the pandemic.” He thanked the UN for the infrastructure which caters for the worst impacted COVID-19 patients and underscored that such a facility is the second in the country which will be useful long after the pandemic.
The event was also attended by representatives of the National Case Management Pillar, the Minister of the Defense and National Coordinator COVID-19 response, UNDP, and the UNFPA Country Representative.
In addition to providing storage and transportation support of non-food and medical supplies, WFP is also helping the Government’s COVID-19 response in strengthening infrastructures such as Treatment facilities and Holding Centers; providing food support for quarantined people, as well as the most vulnerable people like the homeless and orphans prior to the two lockdowns.
