Investigations carried out by Awoko has revealed that treatment of Malaria at the main Connaught Hospital will cost the Sierra Leonean up to sixty thousand Leones (Le60,000) before he or she starts the proper treatment for the ailment.
Awoko sponsored a patient Jeneba (real name withheld) who had complained of symptoms of Malaria.
At the Connaught Hospital Jeneba was initially asked to pay five thousand leones (Le5,000) for registration, for which she received a card.
The card was used to forward her to the outpatient Doctor (name withheld), who demanded ten thousand leones (Le10,000) as doctor’s “professional or consultation fees.”
The Doctor examined Jeneba and issued a prescription for the following drugs:- Nugel Antacid susp.(10mg), Tabs Cinetidine (40mg), Tabs Buscopan (10mg), Caps Amoxyl (250mg), Tabs Flagyl (200mg), Tabs Artesunate (50mg) Syrup Pinoplex (10mls) Injection Novalgin.
When these were priced at a commercial pharmacy the total cost was thirty five thousand leones (Le35,000).
These drugs were to be used while Jeneba awaited her medical test results. We however decided not to buy these drugs but go ahead and do the test and await the results.
The medical tests done at the Connaught hospital laboratory cost forty five thousand leones (Le45,000).
The test results showed that she was suffering from Malaria and Typhoid, which are the most common ailments now.
Therefore Jeneba had to pay for Registration (Le5,000) Doctor’s fees (Le10,000) and medical test (Le45,000) all of which add up to sixty thousand leones (Le60,000) before the doctor is sure of her ailment and prescribes the medicines that would cure her particular ailment.
After the test results, the Doctor then made a fresh prescription costing forty seven thousand leones (Le 47,000) for the following drugs:- Injection Artesiane(160mg), Tabs Artesunate (50mg), Tabs Novalgin(400mg), Tabs Cyprofloxin(500mg), Zincofer syrup.
Readers should note here that these are the rock bottom prices from visiting a number of pharmacies.
At the end of the day however Jeneba’s treatment cost Awoko a whooping One hundred and seven thousand leones (Le60,000 + Le47,000 = Le107,000).
This is excluding the thirty five thousand leones (Le35,000) worth of drugs which we refused to buy. Otherwise the total cost would have been one hundred and forty two thousand leones (Le142,000).
It stands to reason that since Le142,000 is about the monthly salary for a majority of Sierra Leoneans does this not make them decide to try and ‘pepeh doctor ‘ themselves rather than go to the hospital?
So if money nor dae well bodi nor dae?
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