The Medical doctor at the Makeni Hospital Dr. Adikali Kamara on a recent visit to Makeni pointed out that they “have one hand pump water well and no pipe borne water” in the hospital.
Relatives of patients come with their own drinking water and staffs also bring their drinking water when coming to work.
On the availability of drugs and equipment, he said we receive drugs supply from the government annually and that also “is a serious issue.” He explained that “if you receive drugs once a year obviously you can say it is not in good quantity – I mean it is not adequate and so the quantity of drugs coming in and then the type of drugs we need, are not very adequate.”
At times he stated “we receive drugs that we don’t need and at times those that we need will come in very small quantity like the antibiotics both oral and injectable – we receive in very small quantity like the analgesic or anti malaria – we receive in very small quantity so they cannot last throughout the year.” He added “The drugs do come in late and they come annually.”
Speaking on the Sanitation of the hospital the only doctor noted that their porters are doing their best though they are not in good numbers. They have three laborers in the hospital “for a whole hospital are they enough?” This is a very serious problem he said. “Starting from the doctors I am the only doctor can you imagine that, and there are very few nurses trained and the security are not enough, the potters are not enough…” He lamented, “we are just doing our best to serve the nation.”
Giving the highest disease in Makeni city he revealed that malaria always tops the list. “We don’t have cases of malaria mortality daily because we have drugs that government provides, it is free we don’t cost them. Also for all patients diagnosed with malaria we treat them free especially for children we treat them free. All anti-malaria drugs in the hospital is free for everybody but they pay consultation which is 2,000 Leones for adult, for children they go direct to the pediatric ward and pregnant women go through the antenatal and direct to the maternity ward.
Second highest is the Acute Respiratory Infection and malnutrition.
There is free treatment of HIV/AIDS with drugs available from the National HIV Secretariat (NAS).