Parliament on the 4th November 2021 intensively debated and committed a Bill entitled: “The Health Professions Act, 2020”, to the Legislative Committee for further scrutiny.
The said Bill is seeking to provide for the establishment of the Allied Health Professions Council, to provide for the regulation including the registration of Allied Health Professions and Allied Health facilities and for other related matters.
Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Anthony Sandi in presenting the Bill, observed that it was piloted by the previous Government as a private member’s motion, passed into law by Parliament, but the former President did not sign it into law in respect of additional inputs and further deliberations.
He furthered how the intention of the Bill is to effectively monitor the conduct of the profession, regulate the health sector, and inspect medical training institutions to guarantee sustainability.
Chairman of the Parliamentary Health Committee, Hon. Moses B. Jorkie recalled how the Bill was initially piloted as a private member’s bill that was enacted by Parliament, but the former President did not sign it into law given further consultations.
Speaking on the benefits of the Bill, he praised the Minister of Health for making tremendous efforts to improve the medical sector in the country.
Deputy Opposition Whip, Hon. Catherine Zainab Tarawally thanked the Minister for piloting the Bill and spoke on the importance of Community Health Officers (CHOs), whom she said were working for the direct interest of the country.
Chief Whip of Parliament, Hon. Dickson Rogers spoke on the need for the improvement of the health sector, more so for regulating the conduct of CHOs in the country.
Hon. Dr. Abdulai Sesay applauded the Bill and agreed that CHOs and other health officers should be regulated for the benefit of the country.
Recognizing the efforts of the Minister of Health and CHOs, and given the country’s population statistics, Independent MP, Hon. Shaikh M. Sama said per doctor to patients ratio was 1 doctor to 23,000 patients in Sierra Leone and 1 doctor to 10,000 patients in Senegal with a population of 16 million as opposed to Sierra Leone’s 7 million; adding the country has more resources than Senegal.
Hon. Joseph Williams-Lamin spoke on the timeliness and also spoke on its importance for the development of the health sector in the country.
Calling on the House to critically look into the Bill, Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara recalled how it was passed in the last Parliament as a private member’s bill, and that the former President did not sign it into law in light of further consultations.
Hon. Hafiju Maada Kanja commended the Minister for showing commitment to the Bill and said that it would help lab technicians and CHOs to perform their duties with confidence.
Hon. James Ozan Tholley described the Bill as non-controversial and called on MPs to support the Bill, given limited doctors in the country and that CHOs were complementing the work of doctors especially in rural communities.
Hon. Musa Fofanah said CHOs were very important and that Parliament should recognize their work by passing the Bill into law.
Hon. PC Bai Kurr Kanagbaro Sanka III spoke on the need for trained and qualified doctors to support the work of CHOs in rural areas.
Rounding, Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Chernor Bah supported the Bill and spoke on its importance for the development of the health sector in the country.
Concluding, Acting Leader of Government Business, Hon. Bashiru Silikie thanked MPs for their invaluable contributions in support of the Bill which he described as non-controversial. He said the Bill would not only regulate CHOs but health facilities also. He called on the Legislative Committee to do justice to the Bill for it to stand the test of time.
