By Theresa Kef Sesay
On Thursday 2 July 2020 in Bo District, Southern Sierra Leone, during a well-attended ceremony ,President Julius Maada Bio commissioned COVID-19 Care and Treatment Facilities, the pilot distribution of equipment and uniforms to healthcare workers in the district, where he also praised the interventions of partner organizations.
“Enhancing the capacity of healthcare personnel goes beyond simply recruiting and training nurses and other healthcare professionals. It is about making them more efficient in speedily and accurately diagnosing and treating disease conditions presented to them. We also believe that in the absence of accurate diagnosis, the health, and possibly, lives of patients are at grave risk,” he said.
The President further noted that diagnostic testing is central to disease surveillance and could be the basis for reliable data on disease prevalence or disease burdens in specific geographical locations.
He added that the data could help Government make evidence-based decisions on allocating resources, distributing medical supplies, training staff, locating healthcare infrastructure, providing health education, and making high-quality treatment available to citizens.
“I am therefore pleased to announce that my Government will be expanding access to diagnostic testing at all regional and district hospitals and eventually to all PHUs by providing laboratory equipment,” he said, adding that his Government had also stressed the importance of professionalism in the healthcare profession.
“I come from a profession in which the wearing of uniforms fosters strong esprit d’corps, pride and confidence in the profession, and confidence to live up to the highest standards and expectations. My Government believes that wearing uniforms in the healthcare professions will foster that professional identity and thus lead to greater pride in the profession and greater confidence in performing duties. The professional outlook of healthcare staff in identical uniforms will enhance the trust and confidence that patients and their family members have in the healthcare staff.
“My Government, therefore, believes that to promote professionalism, we should reintroduce and strengthen a uniform wearing policy for healthcare practitioners especially nurses. Under the resilient health systems strengthening and sustainability programme concluded by the Ministries of Finance and Health, my Government will henceforth provide two sets of cadre-specific uniforms for every nurse. I repeat, my Government will provide nurses (CHOs, CHAs, Midwives etc.) with two sets of uniforms free of charge. This will be sustained and replicated throughout the country,” he assured.
The President also acknowledged the work of World Vision International for their community-based primary health care interventions with a focus on maternal, new-born, and child health that had kept thousands of mothers and children alive.
He also recognized the contributions of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) to the country’s health sector, adding that they were grateful and confident of an intensified cooperation and engagement on maintaining these diagnostic facilities, upgrading equipment, training staff and supporting regulatory oversight.
“Let me, at this juncture, acknowledge the support of OSIWA that has fully funded the refurbishment and repurposing of The Bo Children’s Hospital, which I inspected earlier this morning, as a dedicated COVID-19 treatment facility. Some of the nurses will be re-trained accordingly and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation will support with essential equipment and other consumables.
“In order to treat healthcare workers who may succumb to COVID-19, OSIWA has also fully financed the repurposing of the Infectious Diseases Centre into a treatment centre for health workers. I must acknowledge that the container was first provided by the WHO.
“Let me, therefore, thank OSIWA again for its proactive and speedy support in rehabilitating both the Bo Children’s Hospital and the Infectious Disease Centre. They have considerably strengthened our capacity to respond to the ravaging menace of COVID-19. These facilities are concrete and enduring interventions that will outlive Corona and boost our healthcare infrastructure.
“As a Government and country, we deeply appreciate OSIWA’s work in promoting human rights; eradicating Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV); supporting community-based justice mechanisms implemented by the Legal Aid Board and civil society partners; promoting accountability; and facilitating the active participation of citizens in governance processes. My Government looks forward to deepening its partnership with OSIWA as we strive to establish the Peace and National Cohesion Commission,” he said.
Minister of Health and Sanitation, Professor Alpha Tejan Wurie, spoke of the numerous reforms the New Direction Government was already undertaking to improve healthcare delivery, adding that they had made so many strides in building a reliable healthcare service in the country.
Country Officer for OSIWA, Joe Pemagbi, said that they thought of the idea of having a treatment center in Bo district because it was expensive to carry positive patients to other parts of the country for treatment. He also said that they had been helping Government in several areas, especially in public health education.
Country Director for World Vision Sierra Leone, James Chifwelu Nkemba, said that the project was a manifestation of the good policy environment that had been created by the Government, saying that they appreciated the openness of Government and its continuous collaboration. He said that as part of their efforts in the fight against COVID-19, they had supported over 400 Peripheral Health Units with protective gears for healthcare workers.
