Bo Government Regional Hospital receives US$50,000 worth of medical supplies from WHO

SIERRA LEONE – The World Health Organization (WHO) country office in Sierra Leone has responded to a call by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to replenish medical supplies at the Bo Government Regional Hospital.

The call follows an emergency response by the hospital team to a mass casualty incident that depleted the routine stockpile of medical supplies of the hospital.

The incident involved over 400 school children mostly girls who were injured when a railing collapsed at the Bo Mini Stadium where thousands of them had gathered to witness an event for free sanitary pad distribution for schoolgirls.

According to Dr Innocent Nuwagira, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone, the consignment with a worth of approximately US$50,000 including medicines and other medical consumables “is to facilitate uninterrupted routine service delivery at the hospital in the immediate aftermath of the 2 February 2023 incident”.

“The level of capacity demonstrated by the Bo health team to efficiently manage the medical emergency of such many injured children from the accident is reassuring. It clearly demonstrated improved capacity and a resilient health system,” Dr Nuwagira added.

“WHO will continue to support the government of Sierra Leone to ensure we have the same level of proficiency in every major hospital, to  promptly manage emergencies whenever they occur.”

The consignment was delivered to the Minister of Health and Sanitation at the hospital with the participation of the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, the district health management and hospital management and staff, traditional leaders, and the civil society.

All the key speakers at the event expressed their appreciation to WHO for its timely response and continuous assistance in strengthening health service delivery in the country.

“Firstly, we say thank you to our competent health workers for proving that our system can work well during normal times and also functions effectively during shocks like the one we have just witnessed,” said Dr Austin Demby, Minister of Health and Sanitation.

“We also say thank you to WHO for always been a reliable partner in supporting the work of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.”

He likened the donation by WHO to a “reward to the hospital staff for their good work”.

Earlier this year, the government of Sierra Leone received vehicles including motorbikes and computers worth over US$2.8 million from the COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Partnership, (CoVDP), for vaccine deployment.

These supplies are part of the technical and operational support which the country is receiving to help scale up COVID-19 vaccination and strengthen routine immunisation services across Sierra Leone.

For all the latest healthcare industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, and YouTube Channel, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook.