By Donstance Koroma
The Deputy Chairperson on the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Hon. Rachael Mariatu Sesay Pessima has on Wednesday 8th October this year ordered the District Medical Officer (DMO) of the Port Loko Government Hospital Mahmoud I Kamara to investigate an incident of a motor bike that occurred in front of the main gate of the Port Loko Government Hospital that eventually lead to a loss of life. According to the MP, the victim of the said accident was brought inside the hospital for emergency treatment taking into consideration.
The Parliamentary Committee on Health instructed the district medical officer to come up with recommendations to prevent the unprofessional manner personals in the health sector has long been conducted themselves to the public most times they visited health facilities. The Deputy Chairperson, who is also a qualified nurse and he had practice for over a decade in the United State of America (USA) also raised concerns over the habit of nurses refusal to put on their uniforms during official hours as unprofessional and that DMOs across the country must institute disciplinary actions to discourage such . She also disclosed that many Sierra Leoneans in Europe are longing to return home, however the unavailability of proper health care system happens to be the down side of things.
Hon. Pessima reminded the delegation from the Port Loko Government Hospital that a clean and conducive hospital environment is a medicine in its self and therefore called on them to ensure that the hospitals are tidy at all times. Mahmoud I Kamara told the committee that they are doing well with referrals with six ambulances in full operation across Port Loko District, noting the late disbursement of allocation continues to hinder the overall performance of the hospital, thereby making it impossible to compete with other countries in the sub region.
Hon. Catherine Zainab Tarawallie, a member of the committee also through light on the deplorable condition of the Lungi Air Port clinic. According to her , she was about traveling out of the country when she notice that her daughter was not in good health and as such wanted for treatment to be administered to her before living the shores of Sierra Leone . Unfortunately, the female lawmaker continued, she couldn’t found a single personal to attend to her daughter expect they had to rush with her daughter to the Lungi government hospital.
The DMO, disclosed that the management of emergency unit at the Lungi Air Port was remove from them and brought under the management of the Lungi airport adding that he was reliable informed that the Suma Group of Companies that is currently operating and managing the airport has decided to contract a private medical company to operate the airport emergency unit. As I speak, the assistance and emergency clinic at the airport is not functioning, he told the committee..
Recounting Lungi hospital success stories in reducing mortality dead , Mahmoud I Kamara revealed that since 2021-2022 a thousand birth were recorded with only five deaths , while in 2023 over eight hundred and thirty three birth recorded with one death. He further told the committee that the Lungi government hospital is a hundred and five bed hospitals with only two medical doctors, seven community health officers (CHO) that comprise only one pin coded.
He said out of the one hundred and twenty staff, hundred are pin coded while the twenty five are non-pin coded that are largely untrained staff, twenty nine volunteers nurses, twenty-five untrained non-support staff. Speaking on the gains and challenges facing the Port Loko government hospital, the DMO pointed the rehabilitation of the general theater and the electrification of the hospital, accountable revenue collection among others.
Lack of human resource was cited by the DMO as key as more medical doctors and midwifes badly needed, inadequate space, stating that one of the mortuaries is presently use as store for consumables. He also stated the main administrative block of the hospital still under construction. Disgracefully, the DMO disclosed that since 2023, they are yet to receive any allocation from government which he said makes it difficult to finance their operational cost. He regarded the engagement with the committee on health as interactive with the aim of knowing their problems and therefore an opportunity.
