April 16, 2021
By Mohamed M. Sesay
The Minister of Health and Sanitation Dr. Austin Demby has yesterday disclosed to Journalists that the Bio government through the Support of the Japanese Government, has mobilized the sum of twenty-five million dollars ($ 25 million) for the establishment of standardized Pediatric Hospital at Lumley.
Disclosing this at the Ministry of Information and Communications’ weekly press briefing, Minister Austin Demby further elucidated that the twenty-five million dollars Pediatric Hospital project to be established at Lumbly is a donation from the Japanese government and the Lumley site was identified as an appropriate location for such Hospital. He added that, government has got a timeline that by the end of June 2021, the land should be ready so that the Japanese will come and present their architectural drawing for the construction of the hospital leading to the turning of the sod.
“Right now we are in discussion with the Member of Parliament for the area where the Hospital will be constructed because there is a lot of encroachment and will want to resolve all of these issues by June so that the construction will start in earnest,” he said.
Minister Demby also disclosed that the Global Fund is set to fund the government of Sierra Leone with the sum of hundred and twenty-six million dollars ($126 Million) towards the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria for the ne xt three years. He therefore assured that government will be using an aggressive approach in terms of diagnosing and curing of HIV/AIDS virus. He acknowledged that HIV is a treatable diseases and nobody should die of HIV/AIDS diseases advising that, the stigmatization around HIV is what needs to be addressed as a nation since the testing of HIV/AIDS only lasts for fifteen minutes and the drugs are also free.
As part of his strengthening and service delivery components, Minister Demby also informed that, plans are underway for government to upgrade and facelift twenty-four (24) government hospitals across the country in terms of water supply, electricity supply and equipment and also, reinvigorate patient/client centered approach, increase health workforce in both quality and quantity through recruitment and training needs-based deployment and retention of health workers. He emphasized the upgrading and face-lifting of the 24 public hospitals will included physical renovation, improve the labs and mortuary services in those hospitals.
Since he took over the office on the 8th of February as the country’s Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Demby also intimated that he has spent this time to really try and have a deep dive into the country’s health systems. He also noted that government’s plan in order to holistically fix the health system in the country is not a plan for just tomorrow, but a plan that will ensure a consistent remedy in the health sector for years to come. He appealed for attitudinal change in service delivery in the health sector especially in a situation wherein every doctor will see patients as their responsibility and making sure that they execute such responsibility in a patriotic manner.
“We are going to transform this country and health is what we need to put premium on, I have been working all over the world and I was just struck by the president’s vision of how we will build the health system. What we are trying to do is to set the strategic direction right, and get this investment and monitor it as we go along. These are all results driven and for instance if we say we want to set a target to reduce maternal mortality rate by so much, we are not going to wait till the end of the year. We will try month by month to see whether we are there and if we are not, we will change people who are not ready and bring in people who are ready,” he said