By Amin Kef Sesay 13th August 2019
In a recent development, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to the United States of America, His Excellency Sidique Abou-Bakarr Wai organised a team of experts to commence feasibility study of First Lady’s Medical Centre in Sierra Leone. When it should have been completed, the Medical Centre will be one of the most advanced Teaching Hospitals in Africa. 
It will cater primarily for the Manor River Union (Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone), and will be affiliated to international teaching Hospitals.
The feasibility team was led by Prof. Tunga Demisrarslan and Mrs Mine Anlar. They met with the First Lady and her team to discussed the project. They then met with H. E. President Julius Maada.
In continuing with their fact finding mission ,they met with the Special Adviser to the Presidential on Infrastructure, Dr. John Tambi, to have a clear picture of how to synergise the Medical Centre project with the plan of a new city by the government. The team was taken by Dr. Tommy Koroma (Medical Officer attached to the Office of the First Lady) and Mr. Mohamed Cozie Kosia from First Lady’s team to visit existing government hospitals. It was a brief review of strengths and shortcomings of the system. They will come up with a practical strategy on how the new Medical Centre should look like. The feasibility study will also cover the Manor River Union.
President Bio made it clear that the Manor River is long overdue for a major upheaval of the medical state saying it is a welcome project assuring his Government’s full support.
The scale of the project is huge, so the specialists suggested it should be rolled out in stages, with the Women & Children centre recommended as the first stage. Small scale Oncology Centre will be added at the first phase, but will specialise in female based cancer treatment (Breast and cervical). Other specialised areas will be added based on needs assessment.
With sustainability at the core of planning the project will encompass the training of medical personnel, building the hospital and equip it to international standards. Training of Medical practitioners from Sierra Leone will be a top priority.
The Medical centre will be scalable both medically and socially. A referral system for incoming patients will be operational in the Manor River Union. The referral system will utilise existing hospitals, and where necessary, new referral centres will be built.
The report of the feasibility study will be presented at the United Nations by the First Lady on the 27th of September in the US. The event is being organised by H. E. Sidique Abou-Bakar Wai, the charismatic, community leader, activist, politician, diplomat, and public policy tzar. The Howard University Medical School is also supporting the project by making their students available for residency training as a precursor to a full scale implementation of the medical centre project. The incredible UN event will be co-chaired by the highly experienced Dr. Fouad Sheriff and Dr. Johnson, the Dean of Howard University Medical School.
The specialist team from Moneta Health have been involved in several projects in Turkey and also in Tanzania and Zanzibar. Prof. Tunga Demirarslan is known internationally as the problem solver of medical establishments. His expertise is in managing, transforming and adopting hospital businesses into profitable and agile organisations. He will bring his vast experience in hospital construction, technical equipment and medical training to the First Lady’s Medical Centre.
