His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio has commissioned the Mamasa Community Private Hospital in Kendeyama Community in the southern city of Bo.
The Mamasa Community Private Hospital was constructed by Honourable Dickson Momoh Rogers, Member of Parliament for Constituency 100 in the Pujehun District and his wife, Haja Fanta Rogers.
Chairman of the occasion, Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Austin Demby, said it was a special day for the people of Kendeyama Community in Bo and the country at large. He added that development should not only be left in the hands of government and called on every citizen to demonstrate the moral responsibility to be a part of the development of the nation.
Dr. Demby described the venture by Hon. Dickson Rogers as a show of goodwill and patriotism, and therefore encouraged all well-meaning Sierra Leoneans to engage in such ventures.
Speaking on behalf of the doctors in the hospital, Dr. Elizabeth Pujeh said only people with big dreams and aspirations to help humanity would construct a health facility of that nature to serve community people.
“On behalf of the doctors, nurses and all healthcare workers of the Mamasa Community Private Hospital, I want to assure you that we will work harder and use our expertise to save lives and improve the health system in the country,” she assured.
Hon. Rogers, who is Chief Executive Officer of the Mamasa Community Private Hospital, said that the urge to help humanity, at a community level, led them to construct the hospital facility, which he added would not only improve the health system of the community but also that of the entire township of Bo.
He further stated that he was inspired to construct a health facility after the second State Opening of Parliament in 2019, where President Julius Maada Bio urged citizens, private organisations to engage and invest in the health system of the country.
“That was why my wife and I challenged ourselves to answer to the call of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio to construct this health facility for our people. Never again will a pregnant woman, child, and the aged die because of lack of access to a hospital,” he concluded.
In his statement President Bio said he was impressed to learn that the hospital was built in an underserved location, adding that he was even happier that the initiative would make available advanced diagnostic and lab services with highly trained medical personnel and more hospital beds in the community.
“There is an opportunity to manage everyday disease burdens, deliveries and maternal care, be able to escalate cases to referral hospitals but with clear lab tests and diagnosis,” he said, adding that his government was committed to partnering with and support such initiatives.
He also recalled that after 2018 his government inherited poor healthcare infrastructure, poor diagnostic and laboratory services, lower healthcare financing than now, adding that poor healthcare delivery services were among a host of problems with the sector.
