By: James Kamara-Manneh
Responding to allegations from the Jui Medical Hospital this medium in their yesterday front entitled “Personnel Misconduct Renders Jui Hospital as Death Trap” the Chinese medical team and Embassy has clearly stated that their drugs are insufficient and are not part of the free health care package.
In an interview conduct, the Head of Political Affairs at Chinese Embassy Mr. Hu, intimated that twelve doctors were dispatched by the Chinese Government to come and help at the Jui Hospital. He affirmed that the Jui hospital is operated in two different components by both the Chinese and the Government of Sierra Leone. He noted that the drugs in the Chinese Pharmacy are only meant for the Chinese Doctors due to the limited amount of the drug.
He also intimated that the segmented drugs for the use of the Chinese Pharmacy should not be viewed as a means of discrimination but rather, because of its limited supply. He added that medicines in the Chinese Pharmacy are not provided by the Sierra Leone government but rather the Chinese government for the exclusive use by the Chinese doctors.
He adds that due to the lack of local medical resources, with the consent of the Sierra Leonean side, the Chinese medical team brought some medical supplies on their way to Sierra Leone annually, and some of the medicines and materials are donated directly to the pharmacy of Jui Hospital, while a small portion of medicines are directly managed by the Chinese doctors and are mainly used for intractable diseases and emergencies, which do not belong to the scope of free medical care.
The quantity of these medicines is limited. Generally, medicines can be obtained with the Chinese doctors’ prescription and payment receipt. In some special cases, the medicine can also be obtained with the Sierra Leonean doctor’s prescription and payment receipt.
However, China attaches great importance to the medical and health cooperation with Sierra Leone. The China-Sierra Leone Friendship Hospital (Jui Hospital) is a comprehensive hospital built with Chinese aid and operated by the Sierra Leonean government. It is also a symbol of China-Sierra Leone friendship.
Since the establishment of the hospital, China has been supporting it in various ways. In particular, the Chinese government has been dispatching medical teams (20 staff for each team) to Sierra Leone every year to assist in diagnosis and treatment of the China-Sierra Leone Friendship Hospital, so as to help the Sierra Leonean side solve the problem of doctor shortage.
The Chinese medical staffs are carefully-selected experts with rich experience. In the spirit of love without boundaries, they have been making selfless dedication in Sierra Leone, saving lives and healing wounds, wining the full trust of the Sierra Leonean people, and helping the Sierra Leonean side improve its medical services.