August 27, 2021
BY MOHAMED M. SESAY
Consistent with the Ministry of Health & Sanitation’s (MOHS) vision of providing equitable access to affordable quality healthcare services, the Minister of Heath and Sanitation Dr. Austin Demby has yesterday 26th of August, informed journalists that a partnership has been developed with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the construction of a $ 23.83 million ultra-modern tertiary children’s hospital which will commence first week in September 2021.
The 152-bed hospital is due for completion by early 2023 and that, the project will consist of an Operation Theatre, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Emergency Treatment Room (ER), special baby care unit to treat new-born babies with special circumstances, and special clinics to save babies and children with critical medical conditions.
Briefing journalists on the importance of the ultra-modern Lumley hospital, the Minister of Heath and Sanitation Dr. Austin Demby added that once the huge hospital facility is completed, the facility will be very close to the existing Lumley Hospital which will be an improvement to the health sector of the entire community and beyond.
He noted that the hospital will serve one of the fastest growing communities in the Western Area because it will be strategically located between the Goderich and Aberdeen Communities. He said the hospital project at Regent Road is expected to also provide health care services for children living in Jah Kingdom, Kondi Farm, Kosovo, Cashew tong, Timaya Ground Engine, Hamburger Hill, Marinbo water, Agbata, Regent Road, Grassfield, No.9, Black tank, Pentagon, Kamayama, Juba, Juba hill, Collier compound, Loko tong, Mambo communities, Aberdeen, Wilkinson Road and Spur Road communities.
Dr. Demby continued that Construction work on the existing buildings has stalled because some squatters have either built structures on hospital property or have converted and expanded existing hospital homes to their personal use on the Lumley Hospital Compound. He furthered that these individuals are required to relocate so that the project that is intended to benefit more than 65,000 members of the Lumley community would commence first week in September.
“Of note, in July alone 1,538 patients were seen at the old Lumley hospital. The bed occupancy averaged 86% throughout the month. The hospital has been temporarily relocated to a 20 room, five story facility at 32K Bendu Drive, Beach Road Lumley, roughly one mile from the old location”, he said.
Minister Demby continued that many studies have shown that healthy people contribute to societal development. If the Lumley community were to have an ultra-modern pediatric hospital, he said that would contribute to improve health and health outcomes for children which are a priority for the New Direction administration, pegging healthcare delivery to the nation’s Human Capital Development.
On his part, Hon. Ibrahim Tawa Conteh, representing the people of Constituency 132 in Parliament, also informed that he had called on occupants of the proposed site to relocate for the good of the community. He added that as a Member of Parliament representing over sixty-five thousand people, fifteen communities with sub communities, he stated that the number of people that will be benefiting from the facility will far outweigh what has been going round in the news. He furthered that what he intends to seek as a representative of that constituency is to protect, guide and to ensure that they save lives and make his people comfortable in the constituency.
“I am about receiving a hundred beds general hospital that is almost at a completion stage, and will have in the shortest time have another hundred and fifty-two beds ultra-modern hospital of excellence that will save the lives of about fifteen thousand children in these fifteen communities”, said Hon. Tawa.
He concluded that he has already done a negotiation for and on behalf of his people adding that, his negotiation has yielded the best dividend ever in the history of the country. He referenced that in 2015 when arrangements were done for the construction of the current one hundred beds hospital, he said people were thrown out without any compensation. Under his administration as Member of Parliament for that constituency through the support of the Minister of Health, he said he has been able to negotiate for the sum of fifteen million Leones for each household head as relocation/humanitarian package for occupants in the proposed construction site.