June 7, 2021
BY MOHAMED M. SESAY
Under the Public Private Partnership cost recovery project, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) has on Friday 4th June 2021 launched the Connaught Teaching Hospital Pharmacy wherein, quality and affordable drugs will be sold at the Connaught Teaching Hospital Pharmacy to patients.
During his keynote address, the Minister of Health and Sanitation Dr. Austin Demby described the launch of the Connaught Teaching Hospital Pharmacy as a very special day.
He thanked all the partners that are involved in the Public Private Partnership in ensuring that the Teaching Hospital Pharmacy is revitalized with quality and affordable drugs for patients.
Dr. Demby added that the revamping of the Connaught Teaching Hospital Pharmacy would not have been made possible without the hard work of the Ministry staff and therefore, assured that his Ministry intends to replicate similar facilities across all government hospitals in the country.
He further indicated that providing high quality, affordable drugs that is accessible to everybody is a laudable intervention, and that his Ministry’s Staff went above of what was expected of them in order to ensure that the Connaught Teaching Hospital Pharmacy is revamped to the admiration of many.
He emphasized the point that Healthcare Workers and Patients are very critical to the enterprise, adding that Connaught Hospital is the lynchpin icon in terms of health care delivery service.
He pointed out that, if things are properly working at Connaught Hospital, then people will think that things are working smoothly in the health sector.
Dr. Demby however said if Connaught Hospital is stagnating and not moving forward, people will definitely have doubt in the health system in the country.
He encouraged the administration to really step up and be a force to reckon with in the new emerging, and revamped Connaught Hospital.
He noted that people go to hospitals not to celebrate but to seek remedies as they can be traumatized, sick and unwell. Dr Demby stressed that people go to hospital to get access to medication and get well and therefore, encouraged staff of Connaught Hospital to work in line with the patients’ expectations.
He said when services are good the patients will brag that they went to Connaught Hospital and they got cured of their sicknesses.
Minister Demby also acknowledged that fake and expired drugs are peddled on the streets in Freetown, and people have also inculcated the habit of buying any kind of drug on the street without being assured of the quality of such drugs.
He added that substandard and fake drugs constitute a moral and clinical issue that impact the live of patients.
He used the occasion to condemn the sale of substandard and fake drugs on the street and therefore, called on the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone to take robust actions in order to mitigate or eradicate the sale of fake drugs on the street.
“This is completely unacceptable and let go out there and stop them. Let’s bring in the Pharmacy Board and the Anti- Corruption Commission and get all these people off the street from doing this kind of business here. So by having a reputable Pharmacy that sits inside of the Hospital producing high quality drugs and products at an affordable prize, is one of the best ideas and solutions,” he said.
The Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation Rev. Dr. Thomas T. Samba also described the launch of the Connaught Teaching Hospital Pharmacy as a very remarkable day for not just the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, but also for government and the people of Sierra Leone at large.
He added that over the period, the Teaching Hospital has been challenged in terms of accessing drugs at the Facility. Taking into cognizance that government cannot do it all in terms of effective health delivery.
Dr. Samba further stated that it was the main reason they looked for a very strategic and a reliable partner within the context of partnering with the private sector to respond to the challenges and risks.
Dr. Samba further disclosed that they supported all the relevant stakeholders in making sure that they worked together so that what they wanted to achieve is within the framework of the law and policies.
He therefore extended his warm regards to all the stakeholders who fully participated in making sure that the launch of the Connaught Teaching Hospital Pharmacy becomes a reality.
The Deputy Director of Corruption Prevention at the Anti-Corruption Commission, Patrick George on behalf of the Commissioner expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation for what he described as a job well done in ensuring that the Connaught Teaching Hospital Pharmacy is operationalized.
He assured the Commission’s commitment to be working with the Teaching Hospital Pharmacy for corruption prevention in protecting the drugs at the facility.
He added that at the Prevention Department of the ACC, they are using the carrot approach in the fight against corruption while in the investigation and prosecution Department, they use the stick approach.
He concluded that the Commission is ready the work with the Ministry of Health, and that the ACC is also willing to develop an institutional policy for the Connaught Teaching Hospital Pharmacy for an efficacious running of the entity.