Sierra Leone “ahead of the game” in HIV fight – UNAIDS country boss

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Sierra Leone stands a great chance to end the transmission of the HIV virus ahead of the UN targeted date of 2030, the country director of UNAIDS has said.

Dr Michael Frank Gboun said that all that’s needed for the country to achieve its goal is for every stakeholder to be fully involved in efforts to get people to know their status and those found positive go for treatment.

“Ending HIV/AIDS is possible. It’s not like we can’t have new infections…the point is to ensure prevention of transmission through treatment,” he said.

Dr Gboun was speaking in an interview with Politico in the context of the high level UN summit on the global AIDS pandemic. The New York meeting held between June 6 and 10 was designed to focus attention on the importance of accelerating the response to HIV over the next five years and set the world on course to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UN Member States were also to adopt a Political Declaration of Commitment on Ending AIDS.

Chinese-funded Zika testing lab unveiled in Sierra Leone

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Sierra Leone’s preparedness for a Zika virus outbreak has been boosted by the Chinese government with the establishment of the only lab in the country with the capability to test for the virus.

The National Reference Laboratory for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers and National Training Center for Viral Detection and Biosafety, housed within the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biosafety Laboratory in Freetown, is just of one several health interventions announced by the Chinese government for Sierra Leone recently.

Chinese ambassador Zhao Yanbo and Health and Sanitation Minister Dr Abubakarr Fofanah, officially unveiled a plaque at the entrance of the lab situated at the China-Sierra Leone Friendship Hospital in Jui, Western Rural District, last week.

Dr. Gao Fu, Deputy Director-General of China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was also in attendance.

2016 Malaria indicator survey begins

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The Ministry of Health and partners have kick-started the 2016 national Malaria Indicator Survey (MIS).

The exercise which commenced on Monday involves about 200 health workers who are moving from house to house collecting data relating to the deadly malaria disease.

MIS is designed to measure the coverage of the core malaria control interventions which will help the country assesses its implementation strategies. The household survey, conducted every two years, is meant to gauge progress on outcomes and impact by measuring status of key malaria indicators. It will crucially provide much needed data for the Ministry of Health and Sanitation which is very critical for programming to improve on the reduction and control of the disease.

Malaria is one of the biggest public health challenges facing Sierra Leone, ranking as the biggest killer disease among children under five.

World Health Assembly closes with three key resolutions

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The 2016 World Health Assembly (WHA) ended on Wednesday with the passing of three new resolutions on air pollution, epilepsy, and the assembly’s future engagement with non-state actors.

Delegates at the end of the three days global meeting of health experts and government officials adopted a resolution to address the health impacts of air pollution, described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the world’s largest single environmental health risk. They also agreed to strengthen ongoing efforts to provide care for people suffering from epilepsy, and set in motion work on the framework of dealing with non-state actors.

The WHA is the decision-making body of WHO, which is the United Nations agency responsible for coordinating global health responses. The Assembly, which is convened annually in Geneva, Switzerland, determines the policies of the WHO, appoints its Director-General, supervises its financial policies, and reviews and approve its proposed programme budget. It is attended by

Make smoking less attractive – WHO urges

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The World Health Organization regional office for Africa has called on member countries to expand anti-tobacco policies with particular emphasis on packaging and labeling.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, called for consideration of a total ban on advertisement of tobacco products. In a statement marking this year’s World No Tobacco Day, she also said countries were obliged to take all these in line with the UN convention on tobacco control – FCTC.

“Countries should expand policies on packaging and labelling to include pictorial warnings. They should consider totally banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, in line with their obligations to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), DrMoeti said.

“The adoption of a multi-sectoral approach to tobacco control will be critical,” he added.

World No Tobacco Day is commemorated every year on May 31. WHO and partners use the day to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco consumption.

Ebola response: Digital payment saved Sierra Leone billions

By Kemo Cham

[First published by www.politicosl.com] The international community’s intervention in the payment of Ebola response workers saved Sierra Leone US$10M (Le60 billion), a new United Nations report has revealed.

The report released Wednesday said lives were saved because Ebola response workers got paid on time which prevented recurrent strike actions that had been caused by confusion created by delay in their payment. By using digital payments to pay Ebola response workers, Sierra Leone massively cut payment times, avoiding large-scale strikes and ensuring a stable workforce to defeat Ebola, the report authors said, adding that the Sierra Leonean experience showed the critical importance of preparing early for digital payments before crises hit.

Sierra Leone was one of three countries hardest hit by the 2014-2016 deadly epidemic which claimed over 11, 000 lives in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

At some point of the epidemic, response was chaotic

Sierra Leone students win Mandela Award for anti Ebola campaign

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] An anti-Ebola campaign by the Sierra Leone Medical Students Association (SLEMSA) has won them a coveted global award.
The Nelson Mandela-Graca Machel Innovation Award was handed to the organization at the recently concluded International Civil Society Week in the Columbian capital, Bogota.

SLEMSA is the umbrella body for medical students attending Sierra Leone’s only medical school – the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS). Its ‘KickEbolaOut’ was designed as part of the national efforts to end the transmission of the [2014-2-16] Ebola virus disease outbreak in the country.

The campaign primarily took the form of outreach in the capital Freetown. SLEMSA members moved from store to store, street to street, sharing information on how to prevent the transmission of the virus.

The organization was able to do this by raising funds through the help of the International Medical Students Association, which it is a member of. It notably set up a mobile lab for students

All set for Sierra Leone’s first Health and Nutrition Fair

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] All is set for Sierra Leone’s first health and nutrition fair.

The occasion which is slated for the Miatta Conference Center in Freetown this week end, is geared towards popularizing good nutritional lifestyles while promoting healthy living.

The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Secretariat, in collaboration with the Scaling Up Nutrition and Immunization Civil Society Platform (SUNI CSP), is behind the three-day events that will take the form of a float parade, a grand opening session and three days of exhibition.

The SUN, hosted at the office of the Vice President, is the Sierra Leone government’s response to a perennial problem of malnutrition. Its activities are manned by a coordinating office, headed by Dr Mohamed Foh.

“That the secretariat is located in the Office of the Vice President underscores the high level of political commitment on the part of government, as well as the value and impo

Ebola Flareup: Health ministry rules out border closure

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Sierra Leone will not shutdown its borders despite the risk of a spillover of the Ebola virus disease from its neighbors – Guinea and Liberia, Minister of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), Dr Abu Bakarr Fofanah, has said. He said last week that border closure was not the right answer to the existing threat of the epidemic on the three neighboring countries, citing the economic implications given the cross border trade among the three countries and their “political brotherhood”.

Fofana also said the Mano River Union, ECOWAS and African Union protocols do not encourage border closure because it went against the spirit of bilateral relations.

The minister was speaking during a visit to the border region with Guinea last week. He was addressing security and border control officials at the popular border crossing point with Guinea at Gbalamuya in the northern Kambia District. He said if the advice from health workers is fully adhered to the risk of transmission of the virus will be reduced. In this regard he warned against denial and complacency.

Maternal Health: Sierra Leone partners Johns Hopkins University

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] A partnership between Sierra Leone’s largest maternity hospital, the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH), and the Johns Hopkins University will help to tackle the dire state of maternal morbidity and mortality in the country, health officials disclosed last week.

The partnership is aimed at strengthening Sierra Leone’s health system and build human capacity in women’s reproductive health, they said.

The hospital said a six-man delegation, comprising doctors and nurses, was in the country as part of an assessment tour.

Sierra Leone is battling an ‘epidemic’ of maternal deaths which recently prompted the government to declare it a state of Public Health Emergency.

The Johns Hopkins University is an American private research institution which is categorized as one of the leading research facilities in sciences globally. It has an affiliate teaching hospital called the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and a biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. All of these are located in the US with branches in a number of countries in Europe.

The Johns Hopkins Hospital is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest hospitals.

Free healthcare for Ebola survivors

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The Sierra Leone Government last week directed that all health facilities begin providing free health care for Ebola survivors. The directive came after a noisy demonstration staged by the survivors complaining neglect.

Hundreds of survivors: men, women and children, on Monday 4 April, descended on State House holding placards with messages drawing attention to their plight.

The protest was coordinated by the Sierra Leone Association of Ebola Survivors (SLAES) which listed three key issues they were bothered about. The survivors requested support for their welfare; they wanted action to end stigmatization faced by their members; and, crucially, they demanded that a longstanding promise for free healthcare be implemented.

A meeting was convened at State House in response to the protest, and in attendance was President Ernest Bai Koroma himself.

Ebola: Sierra Leone deploys soldiers at border with Guinea

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The Sierra Leone government last week announced stringent measures aimed at preventing the spread of the Ebola virus disease from Guinea.

Guinea is battle the viral disease in the second phase of the epidemic that first emerged in March 2014.

According to reports on Monday, at least eight people have died since March 17 when the second outbreak erupted in the country after it was declared free of the virus in December last year.

State House said in a statement last week that it had taken the decisions after a meeting between President Ernest Bai Koroma and relevant sectoral ministers and his national security team.

According to the statement, Koroma was to invoke the military aid to the civil power (Mac-P) in all border areas with Guinea. The meeting also agreed that Ebola protocols, including screening and surveillance activities, be instituted in all border crossing points with Guinea.

Sierra Leone conducts second round polio campaign

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The second round of the national anti-polio vaccination campaign went underway on Friday targeting 1.462,000 children.

Children between 0 and 59 months were targeted in the exercise by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) which was scheduled to last from Friday April 1 to Monday April 4.

This campaign was part of the global efforts to end Polio transmission. Africa is expected to be declared free of the viral disease that usually affects children sometime next year. Every year countries conduct three rounds of vaccination for the disease. In Sierra Leone the last campaign was held in February.

According to MoHS, they recorded 98.7% coverage in the last exercise, above the 95% target.

“We are encouraging parents to make their children available for polio vaccination when our teams visit their houses,” Dr Mariama Murray, Deputy Programme Manager at the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), said at a press conference on the eve of the exercise.

Media urged to expose effect of alcohol

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The Media has the moral responsibility to inform the people on the dangers of alcohol consumption, a coalition of civil society organization has said as part of efforts to mobilize against liquor brewers. For months now concerns about the effect of alcohol especially on youths have mounted.

The Sierra Leone Alcohol Policy Alliance (SLAPA), comprising a group of CSOs, wants the government to revise its policy on alcohol use, manufacture and sale. Brewers have come under attack for increasing their alcohol contents in their brews mainly to lure youths to buy them. The situation is made worst by the fact that the brews are extremely cheap, making it easily accessible to even children.

SLAPA says the media can help in their fight by highlighting the effects of the situation rather than focusing on advertising for the producers. They blame alcohol for the high rates of crime, rape,

Ebola emergency is over – WHO declares

By Kemo Cham

The West African Ebola epidemic is no longer an international public health emergency, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared on Tuesday.

The UN health agency said the viral disease outbreak which wrecked Sierra Leone and its neighbors Liberia and Guinea no longer constituted a public health emergency of international concern as the first leg of the original transmission had come to an end.

WHO declares an outbreak as an international health emergency when it is considered a threat to international public health. The 2014 Ebola outbreak was designated as such in August 2014, some 20 months ago, when the viral outbreak was at its peak.

Tuesday’s announcement came following the recommendation from an independent committee of experts which advices the WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan.

“The Committee provided its view that Ebola transmission in West Africa no longer constitutes an extraordinary event, that the risk of international spread is now low,

Stigma, discrimination stifle TB eradication efforts in Sierra Leone

By Kemo Cham

[First published on politicosl.com] Sierra Leone risks losing the fight to contain Tuberculosis or TBif adequate resources are not provided towards sensitization, officials and activists have warned.

Stigma and discrimination, among other factors, have plotted to keep TB sufferers away from treatment centers, threatening the country’s chance of ending transmission of the disease that is caused by bacteria, they said. Sierra Leone’s effort to end transmission of the disease has also been hindered by fears of multiple drug resistance, a phenomenon that further complicates treatment of the disease.

The warnings came as part of commemorations marking World Tuberculosis Day last week, March 24.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), which targets ending transmission of TB by 2030, used the day to call for increased funding towards TB control.

TB, an infectious bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, most commonly affects the lungs. The disease is transmitted from person to person via droplets from the throat and lungs of people with the active respiratory disease.

Sierra Leone declared Ebola-free, again

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Sierra Leone was declared free-of the Ebola virus transmission for the second time last week after 42 days of countdown.

But unlike the first Ebola-free declaration at the end of last year, this time there was less buoyancy in the celebrations on March 17.The Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) and the World Health Organisaion (WHO) used the occasion to warnof a possible resurgence of the virus that has plagued the West Africa region for the last over two years.

Sierra Leone was first declared free of the virus on 7 November 2015. And in January this year the death of a school girl in the Tonkolili District sparked a new flare-up. Hundreds of people were quarantined subsequently.One person, besides the index case, died. A second case was

Health partners brainstorm on maternal mortality

By Kemo Cham

[First published on Politicosl] Health ministry officials and partners on Wednesday engaged on a brainstorming session to tackle the country’s high rate of maternal mortality.

Officials from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), NGOs and civil society organizations stressed the need for collaboration, provision of relevant resources and assurance of sustainability for projects being implemented.

Sierra Leone currently ranks as having the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, at 1, 360 deaths per 100, 000 live births. This has been largely attributed to the dysfunctional nature of the healthcare system as a whole. The Italian NGO Doctors With Africa, known by its acronym CUAMM, managed to run what has been described as the maternal healthcare delivery facility in the country. It is located in one of the remotest part of the country – Pujehun District.

Besides the over 300, 000 population in Pujehun, CUAAM serves people from neighboring districts.

Wednesday’s session was convened to share ideas on how to replicate the Pujehun

Sierra Leone abortion Act to be put to a referendum

By Kemo Cham

[First published on Politicosl] By all indications Sierra Leoneans are going to have to decide the fate of the proposed abortion law in a referendum, according to information received by Politico.

According to aleaked official StateHouse document,President Ernest Bai Koroma has decided not to append his signature on a law he doesn’t think has any respect for the sanctity of life.

The President, according to the document said in order for the Act tobecome law should be determined by the people. Koroma also said he would hand-over the bill to the Constitutional Review Committeeto includeit into its draft recommendations which are due to be presented for the upcoming referendum.

But some pro-choice activists have questioned the legality for such a move and the President’s ultimate intention.

The ‘Safe Abortion Act 2016’ seeks to replace the pre-colonial 1861 English lawwhich criminalizes abortion. It was first passed by parliament in December 2015 unanimously and sent to the President’s office for his signature before tobecome law.But Koroma,back then in January,

US doctor with Lassa fever flown out of West Africa

By Kemo Cham

[First published on Politicosl] A US doctor working with missionaries in Togo has been taken into an isolation ward at a US hospital after been diagnosed with a suspected Lassa Fever infection.

The patient was flown out of West Africa on Thursday, reports indicate.

Lassa Fever is a highly deadly hemorrhagic disease similar to Ebola. They both are viral diseases.

Lassa Fever is usually acquired from infected rats.

Nigeria has been battling the viral outbreak for the last few months after the 2014/2015 Ebola epidemic subsided. It is believed that the Nigerian outbreak may be spreading to its neighbouring countries.

The US patient was flown out in a specially equipped aircraft from Togo and was expected to arrive at Emory University Hospital the next day.

The isolation ward is where Emory successfully treated four Ebola patients in 2014.

Lassa fever has been endemic in Africa for many years, with up to 300,000 infections annually.

Cannabis may help treat epilepsy – report

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] A clinical trial on a drug manufactured from Cannabis has proved successful in the treatment of a rare form of severe epilepsy in children, reports said.

The drug, Epidiolex, is manufactured by UK-based GW Pharmaceuticals with the use of cannabinoids, an active ingredients found in marijuana. It is used to treat Dravet syndrome.

The final result of the trial is expected later this year.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that is caused by electrical sparks which leads to seizures. Dravet syndrome is a type of epilepsy with seizures that are often triggered by hot temperatures or fever. It often begins around six months of age.

Some 120-patient involved in the trial showed achieved a median reduction in monthly convulsive seizures of 39 percent compared with a reduction on placebo of 13 percent, the findings show, according to a Reuters report.

“This shows that cannabinoids can produce

Stigma & discrimination widespread in Sierra Leone

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Despite the existence of a law prohibiting stigmatisation and discrimination of people living with HIV, the practice is at an alarming rate, anti-HIV/AIDS campaigners have warned.
Stigmatization is prevalent at all levels of society and it is driving people who should seek life-saving help, like HIV/AIDS sufferers, to go into hiding, posing further threats to society, officials of the National AIDS Secretariat (NAS) and UNAIDS, said.
Dr. Momodu Sesay, Executive Director of NAS, said evidence abound that there was stigmatisation at all levels, including health facilities, and places of worship.
“We are not only looking at stigma against HIV/AIDS people, but we are also looking at stigma against people who survived Ebola…,” he said in a statement marking the 2016 Zero Discrimination Day. The global event, celebrated on March 1, was set aside to raise awareness against stigma and discrimination in all forms.
The UNAIDS country office and NAS collaborated to host a press conference on the commemoration, where officials severely lamented the increasing trend of stigmatization in the country.
It takes the trend of exclusion from social gathering, places of work, places of worship, family activities, and it is expressed differently, said Dr Sesay.
He said common implications of this were that people go underground; they have suicidal tendencies, or they resort to tendencies of willful transmission, as retribution.
“And all of this affect treatment and increases morbidity, said Dr Sesay.
While the Zero Discrimination Day covers all forms of discrimination, a major concern is on people living with HIV.
The Stigma Index study of 2014 conducted by NAS and partners showed that 71% of people complained been stigmatized through gossiping, and 16% complained of verbal insult; Sex workers were mostly found to be faced with physical harassment.
“It is unacceptable to discriminate against people, be they people living with HIV/AIDS, be they sex workers, be they disabled; it’s bad to discriminate against them,” said Dr Sesay.
“Everyone, irrespective of where they come from, should be given space to live their lives,” added UNAIDS Country Director, Dr Michael Boum.
He said only 52% of people living with HIV in the country were coming out to access seek treatment and other services. And only one third of the over 4, 000 children among these were accessing the services, he said.
The UNAIDS chief said having these people fully access treatment was crucial to ending HIV transmission, which also hinged on Zero discrimination, which could only be attained if everyone worked together.
Mr Foday Sawi Lahai, Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation, re-echoed the views of the UNAIDS and NAS bosses, stressing that stigma and discrimination were great barriers to ending HIV transmission.
He said in a statement: “Healthcare settings, communities and work place should be considered as safe and caring environments, however, such cases are happening to frequently in the country.”
He added: “Any obstacles that inhibit access to healthcare facilities, including to testing, treatment and care services, destroy self-esteem and must be removed.”
According to NAS, at least 55, 000 people are living with the HIV virus in Sierra Leone. And these people are represented by an umbrella organization called the Network of HIV Positives (NETHIPS).
Their head, Idrissa Songo, said the only way to address the issue of discrimination and stigmatisation was with the full implementation of the law prohibiting them.
The HIV/AIDS Act 2011 deals with discriminatory acts and policies. Amongst others, it forbids denial of a person to the right to employment, education, or entry into the country on the basis of their HIV status.
Songo said the law hadn’t really been fully implemented, and he noted that all the odds of society were against people living with HIV.
When an issue got to court it had financial implications, he told Politico in an interview. He said when a complainant had no money to hire lawyers, they had problem.
“From our end, the point of view of NETHIPS, we really want to see that whosoever stigmatizes us faces the full force of the law,” he said.
He said he wanted to see fines and imprisonment for offenders.
There has been some level of improvement though. About a decade ago, it was unheard of for people to shake hands of people living with HIV. This has changed. And campaigners believe a little more awareness raising will help end stigma as it is known today.
(C) Politico 10/03/16

Vaccination: African leaders recommit to global plan

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Despite a dramatic increase in the global vaccination rates in the last two decades more still needs to be done to tackle life threatening diseases prevalent in Africa, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned last month.

Ahead of the first ever Ministerial Conference on Immunization in Africa (February 25 – 26), the UN’s health agency said one in five children on the continent did not receive basic life-saving vaccines particularly against diseases like measles, rubella and neonatal tetanus. These illnesses have virtually been eradicated in some parts of the world but remain prevalent and deadly on the continent.

Child vaccination rates rose from 57% in 2000 to 80% in 2014. But WHO said Africa’s routine immunization coverage of 80 % is still the lowest of any region in the world.

The ministerial conference held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was convened by WHO and co-hosted by the African Union. Its main thrust was to renew commitments towards achieving the goals of the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP).

GVAP, reached in 2012 at the annual World Health Assembly in Geneva,

Female lawyers support abortion law

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Female lawyers of Sierra Leone have expressed support for calls for an abortion law, urging the government to pass a revised version of the controversial new abortion Act.

In a statement marking International Women’s Day, the umbrella body representing the country’s female lawyers, the Legal Access through Women Yearning for Equality, Rights and Social Justice (LAWYERS), proffers some recommendations to be included in the Safe Abortion Act 2016 and make it acceptable by all.

The new Act, which is currently stuck on the desk of President Ernest Bai Koroma, seeks to decriminalize abortion so that deaths and injuries due to unsafe abortion could be stopped. But it has faced strong opposition from religious leaders who cite moral considerations.

In their statement ahead of the commemoration on Tuesday March 8, the women lawyers said the abortion law will protect and enhance women’s reproductive health rights and that the Sierra Leone government was obliged to fulfill its commitment to international treaties it is party to.

Sierra Leone welcomes US support against Malaria

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The Sierra Leone government has welcomed the decision of the US government to include the West African country into its anti-malaria crusade.

Sierra Leone was named alongside Ivory Coast and Cameroon as new entrants into the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) run by the White House. The PMI seeks to eradicate the parasitic disease in Africa and Aisa.

A joint statement by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), and the US embassy in Freetown last week said the move comes in handy for the Sierra Leone government in its drive to tackle Malaria which is over 40 percent prevalent in the country.

“The inclusion of Sierra Leone in the PMI will be a realization of the request by His Excellency, the President Ernest bai Koroma during a White House meeting in 2013 with President Barrack Obama,” the MoHS said in the statement.

The PMI is a bipartisan effort initiated by President George W. Bush and

Sierra Leone ends mass Polio vaccination exercise

Sierra Leone has concluded a four-day anti-polio campaign with a nationwide mass vaccination exercise.

About 1, 493, 785 children were targeted in the first round of the Polio campaign planned for 2016 as part of the Child Health/Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) revitalization plans.

The exercise, which ran from Friday February 26 to Monday February 29, was supported by the UN agencies WHO and Unicef.

Officials said that it was part of a wider effort to rid Africa of the viral disease that affects children and leaves them paralised.

Procurement unit begins Free Health drugs distribution

The National Pharmaceutical Procurement Unit (NPPU) is set to commence nationwide distribution of Free Health Care drugs, according to officials.

NPPU officials last week said $6million worth of drugs were due to be distributed to 23 hospitals and 1,209 Peripheral Health Units (PHUs) nationwide as part of the first quarter distribution for 2016.The exercise was slated to commence on 29 February and would end on 30 March.

The NPPU is the drugs procurement arm of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and it is autonomous.

The Free Health Care is a partial health insurance scheme, powered by foreign donors,which targets vulnerable members of the population: pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children under five years, for free medical examination and access to a limited number of drugs.

The British Department for International Development (DFID), the UN agency Unicef, and USAIDare among the major supporters of the initiative which was first introduced in 2010 by the government in response to high rate of maternal and infant mortality, mainly fuelled by a decrepit health system worsened by the 11-year [1991-2002] civil war.