To further improve on health service delivery in the country, Government in collaboration with UNICEF will construct a modern Maternal Child Health Aide training school on the environs at the Waterloo Community Health Centre in the Western Area Rural District.
Waterloo, like any other rural community, is fast growing in population and expanding in size; therefore, there is need for Government to provide as well as improve on social services for the people.
To start implementing Government’s post ebola recovery programme, the Minister of Health and Sanitation together with UNICEF and the community over the weekend turned the sod to begin the construction of an MCH Aide training school which when completed with modern equipment and furniture will train 50 MCH Aides twice a year.
In a short ceremony, the Programme Manager, Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), Dr Dennis Marke recalled that the health sector is an important arm of development, which means premium must be given to improve on the sector.
He said the construction of the training school will change health service delivery in the community and also provide employment for many who want to be in the nursing profession, noting that after completing six months of training they will be able to support main stream hospital staff.
Local authorities from both council and the community commended the government and UNICEF for making a long dream a reality and that after six months the school will be ready for use.
On a more serious note, they appealed to Government to provide proper security by constructing a perimeter fence around the facility which is presently used as a thoroughfare and also left to the mercy of thieves, costing both Government and staff huge losses.
The local authorities called on the health minister to use his good offices to convince Government to see reason to provide Waterloo with its own District Health Management Team (DHMT) which will make the facility function better.
Making a statement, UNICEF’s Country Representative in Sierra Leone, Geoff Wiffin stated that UNICEF’s goal in partnership with Government is to increase the availability and quality of human resources that can deliver quality health services to women and new born in Sierra Leone.
He noted that the construction of the MCH Aide School will contribute immensely to the capacity building of health workers, reduce maternal and child mortality in accordance with Government’s priorities for post ebola recovery.
Mr. Wiffin maintained that MCH Aides are very critical to the health work force and they work in peripheral health units across the country and they are also the first point of contacts for pregnant women, lactating mothers and babies in remote and hard to reach communities, and thus play critical roles in fighting maternal and child mortality in Sierra Leone.
Turning the sod to start the construction, Sierra Leone’s health minister, Dr Abubakarr Fofanah was delighted to be part of history to implement a project that will reduce the maternal and child mortality in Waterloo and its surroundings.
He said after a long time since the request was put forward to the ministry, it was critical that the project gets underway, noting that Waterloo is the fastest growing community and there is a need to have a school to train more women to provide care for women and children.
Dr. Fofanah commended Waterloo community for resilience to help put an end to, taking into consideration that Waterloo was a hotspot, but people decided to put all political and cultural differences aside to overcome the challenge.
He urged that they don’t be held captive by the dark history of ebola, but to come together and participate in the implementation of the project.
On the issue of Waterloo becoming a referral hospital with its own DHMT, Minister Fofanah assured that soonest Government will grant their wish, taking into consideration that there are cost implications which needs to be sorted out before granting them their wish.
By Ade Campbell
Tuesday November 17, 2015
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