By: Mamajah Jalloh
The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) Hospital has received a significant boost to its eye care services following a donation of a slit lamp, essential eye medications and medical consumables from international development organization Sightsavers.
The items were formally handed over on Friday, 6 November 2026, at the Officers’ Mess, Police Headquarters, Kingtom. The donation is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the hospital’s Eye Unit, improving access to specialized eye care and enhancing the quality of services provided to police personnel and members of the public.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Sightsavers Country Director, Tiange Gondoe, expressed her organization’s pleasure in supporting the SLP Hospital with essential medical equipment and supplies. She described the intervention as part of Sightsavers’ continued commitment to promoting accessible, quality and people-centred eye care services across Sierra Leone.
Gondoe explained that the slit lamp is an essential diagnostic instrument that will enable eye care professionals to conduct detailed examinations, diagnose and manage various eye conditions more effectively. She added that the donated medications and medical consumables would facilitate timely treatment and improve the overall quality of care provided by the hospital’s Eye Unit.
She reaffirmed Sightsavers’ commitment to working with the Ministry of Health and other development partners to strengthen eye care systems, improve service delivery and reduce preventable blindness and visual impairment across the country.
According to her, the donation goes beyond the provision of medical equipment and supplies, representing an investment in improved vision, better health and a brighter future for the people of Sierra Leone.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Sierra Leone Police, the Principal Staff Officer (PSO) in the Office of the Inspector-General of Police, Commissioner Ismail Keita, highlighted the significance of the donation in advancing the Force’s healthcare objectives under its 2025–2029 Strategic Development Plan (SDP).
Keita noted that Goal Five of the SDP focuses on personnel welfare, with Intervention Eight specifically targeting improvements in medical services at the Kingtom Police Hospital and the establishment of similar healthcare facilities at regional police headquarters across the country.
He explained that the decentralization of healthcare services forms part of the SLP’s broader commitment to ensuring that police personnel have access to essential medical care, irrespective of their duty stations.
The PSO commended Sightsavers for the timely intervention and assured the organization that the donated equipment, medications and consumables would be put to their intended use for the benefit of patients.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director of Medical Services and Medical Superintendent of the SLP Hospital, Dr. John Mumuneh Konteh, underscored the importance of strategic partnerships facilitated by the Inspector-General of Police, William Fayia Sellu, in strengthening collaboration between the SLP Hospital, healthcare institutions and development partners.
He observed that such partnerships were critical to expanding the Force’s medical capacity, improving healthcare delivery and achieving better health outcomes for police personnel and other patients.
The donation is expected to strengthen the operational capacity of the SLP Hospital’s Eye Unit, particularly in the examination, diagnosis and treatment of various eye conditions.
The intervention underscores the importance of collaboration between the Sierra Leone Police and development partners in addressing critical healthcare needs, expanding access to specialized medical services and improving the standard of healthcare delivery.
For the SLP Hospital, the support from Sightsavers marks another important step towards modernizing its medical facilities and providing quality and accessible healthcare to police personnel and members of the public.