Sierra Leone News: Facilities Housing Govt Hospitals are not fit for Purpose
By Alusine Sesay
The temporal facilities housing the Kingharman Road Government Hospitals, and the Rokupa Government Hospital and the Lumley Government Hospital are not fit for purpose and have become grossly inadequate both in terms of physical space and also the range of services.
The structures housing the pediatric wards, laboratories and general wards are inadequate in terms of physical space and are potential sources for hospital-associated infections.
The pediatric wards are normally crammed in beds to make do with what is available at the hospital. Two to three sick children are placed in a single bed when cases are high.
The facilities house the laboratories are too small and fall short of the health facility guidelines which prescribes reception; specimen collection area including patient toilets with hand washing facilities; specimen reception registration and sorting area; support areas including lean-up, sterilisation area; storage areas for reagents; and staff areas including offices, meeting rooms, lockers and toilets.
These structures housing the Kingharman Road Government Hospitals, and the Rokupa Government Hospital were rented by government to be used as temporary facilities until the new structures are completed with 12 months.
It is more than 24 since the former President Ernest Bai Koroma launched the five hospital projects in Freetown which are funded by the British Department for International Development (DFID) through UNFPA.
The projects include the Macauley Street hospital — 60 beds four-storey building; Lumley Government hospital — 85 beds five-storey building; Waterloo Government Hospital — four-storey 100 beds hospital; Rokupa Satellite Clinic –100 beds facility and Kingharman Road — 100 bed facility on three floors. The hospitals when completed would serve the wider communities.
Health workers and patients have called on the government to speed up the projects. They said there are compelling reasons for the government to relocate the health facilities to the new structures.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Solomon Rogers told Premier Premier News that, the structures are done, but they are waiting fittings include beds, furniture and equipment. He said that the projects are donor funded and Ministry doesn’t have absolute control over when they will be opened to the public. He assured that the facilities will be opened very soon.
The hospitals when completed will be a huge transition from a Peripheral Health Units to the level of a district hospital, and will have wards, operating theatre, mortuary, kitchen, laundry and a host of other support services.
