Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Austin Hinga Demby, has expressed his disappointment with patients having to buy fuel for ambulances.
Addressing concerns raised by Victor Lansana Koroma, Executive Director of Health Alert, Dr. Demby emphasised that it is completely unacceptable for patients to bear this cost.
He explained that the National Medical Emergency Service (NMES), a government institution managing 80 ambulances, should provide all necessary services, including fuel.
Dr. Demby furthered that one of the main challenges with the ambulances arises from the hospital’s inability to maintain them, leading to damage. He proposed consolidating all ambulance services under NMES to ensure better management, including maintenance and fuel provision through a GPS.
He stressed these expenses for ambulances should not fall on patients but should be covered by the government and its partners.
Regarding bribery in accessing medical services, Dr. Demby acknowledged the presence of corrupt practices in hospitals and pledged to address these issues. He plans to create pharmacies in all government hospitals, managed by private companies, and build a health insurance system.
The Health Minister also noted the increase in the number of doctors, with the government enrolling 700 new doctors this year and plans to build modern facilities for their practice.
Dr. Demby addressed the issue of pin codes for nurses, mentioning that over the past five years, the Ministry received over 6.500 pin codes, currently employing about 15,000 pin-coded staff, 15,000 community workers, and 10,000 volunteers.
He highlighted the challenge with volunteers who, unpaid for extended periods, resort to collecting monies from patients. He promised to tackle the issue of pin-coded staff not fulfilling their duties and emphasized the need for a competitive process to allocate pin codes.
Victor Lansana Koroma of Health Alert pointed out that despite progress, the health sector still faces significant challenges, including access to ambulances, electricity, and instances of nurses collecting money from patients.
He noted that citizens often pay for ambulance service, including fuel and driver stipends, which should be addressed by the Ministry. Mr. Koroma also emphasised the need to improve drug distribution and the overall attitude of health workers.
Despite advancements, Mr. Koroma urged the Ministry of Health to address these ongoing issues to improve the country’s health sector.
