The Ministry of Health has officially reopened the rehabilitated Gbondapi Community Health Centre in Kpanga Chiefdom, Pujehun District, marking another significant intervention aimed at improving maternal and newborn healthcare services in underserved communities across southern Sierra Leone.
The facility, commissioned on Saturday, 31 October 2026, under the leadership of Minister of Health, Dr Austin Demby, is expected to provide essential healthcare services to more than 9,067 residents across 14 communities, including hard-to-reach riverine settlements in Pujehun and neighbouring Bonthe District.
The rehabilitation, undertaken through the Ministry’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Project, has considerably improved the centre’s infrastructure and capacity to provide Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC) services.
Major improvements include expanded labour and delivery rooms, modern toilets and shower facilities, solar-powered electricity, air-conditioning, improved drainage systems and paved surroundings, creating a safer and more comfortable environment for patients and healthcare workers.
The facility has also been equipped with four delivery beds, nine postnatal beds, three birth-waiting-home spaces, two ultrasound scanners, two oxygen concentrators and two pulse oximeters to strengthen pregnancy monitoring, childbirth assistance and emergency medical interventions.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, Chief Medical Officer Dr Mustapha Sundifu Kabba reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to strengthening primary healthcare services, particularly in remote communities where access to skilled medical attention remains challenging.
He emphasized the importance of qualified healthcare personnel, functional ambulance and referral systems, proper equipment maintenance and community participation in ensuring sustainable healthcare delivery.
Dr Mustapha Sundifu Kabba also encouraged traditional authorities and residents to protect the rehabilitated facility and support healthcare workers in maintaining effective service delivery.
Delivering the keynote address, Minister of Health, Dr Austin Demby, described the rehabilitation as an important investment in reducing preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
He urged healthcare workers to demonstrate professionalism, compassion and dedication while encouraging pregnant women to attend antenatal appointments regularly and deliver at health facilities under skilled supervision.
Dr Austin Demby further disclosed that a proposed 100-bed hospital, approximately five kilometres from Gbondapi, remains under consideration as part of efforts to expand healthcare infrastructure in the area.
According to Ministry of Health statistics, the centre recorded 379 facility-based deliveries between October 2025 and September 2026, achieving 101 per cent of its delivery target. During the same period, it registered 401 first antenatal visits and 364 fourth antenatal visits.
Despite those achievements, staff accommodation, adequate deployment of healthcare professionals and the pin-coding of eligible health workers remain priorities requiring attention.
The reopening also supports the Ministry’s 300-Days Activism for Triple Zero campaign, which targets zero preventable maternal deaths, zero preventable child deaths and improved immunization coverage for zero-dose children.
For residents of Gbondapi and surrounding communities, the rehabilitated centre represents renewed hope for safer childbirth, improved newborn care and greater access to essential healthcare services closer to home.
