Sierra Leone: Ignorance fuels stigma for Epilepsy sufferers

By Kemo Cham

Prof Lisk

[First published on www.politicosl.com] In Sierra Leone ignorance about epilepsy is fuelling stigma and discrimination against sufferers of the medical condition caused by brain disorder, according to campaigners and doctors.

Epilepsy is widely associated with witchcraft and many sufferers endure extortion and torture in the hands of traditional healers who take advantage of a severe knowledge gap that drive even conventional health facilities to turn away patients.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder which often manifests itself in the form of seizures.

The Epilepsy Association of Sierra Leone (EASL) estimates that between 60 and 80, 000 people live with the condition in the country. But a major problem is that majority of these people hardly know that they are suffering from it.

Neurologist, Professor Radcliffe Lisk, who heads the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS)’s epilepsy programme, said up to five years ago when the unit was first established there was

Sierra Leone enlisted into US’ anti-malaria program

By Kemo Cham

An Anopheles stephensi mosquito shortly after obtaining blood from a human

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Sierra Leone has been included in the United States’ President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), the White House has announced.

The country was named on Monday alongside Cote D’Ivoire and Cameroon to be part of the US government’s program that seeks to eliminate the deadly parasitic disease that accounts for most global deaths to illness.

Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan called plasmodium. The parasite is transmitted by the mosquito.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the disease claimed 438,000 lives worldwide last year, out of 214 million cases.

More than 3 billion people, nearly half of the world’s population, are at risk of contracting malaria, according to WHO.

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

Health ministry on mass recruitment of workers

By Kemo Cham

Nurses at a Sierra Leone health facility

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) has announced the commencement of mass recruitment of health workers with a view of enhancing the human resource base of an overstretched health sector.

The recruitment process is targeting volunteer health workers who served in the national Ebola response. Over 500 of them, from 11 districts, are being enlisted by the National Health Service Commission (NHSC) as Maternal and Child Health Assistants (MCHA), who were previously called Maternal and Child Health Aides.

The NHSC is responsible for recruitment and appointment of personnel within the health ministry. It does so in conjunction with the directorate of Human Resources of the ministry.

Dr Alpha Bundu-Kamara, Chairman NHSC, cited the country’s poor health indices which have been worsened by the Ebola epidemic. He said the infant mortality rate, which stands at 140 per 1,000 live births, and maternal mortality rate at 857 per 1,000 live births, illustrated the n

New Finance Act to boost Free Healthcare

By Kemo Cham

Lactating mothers line up at a Sierra Leonean hospital

[First published on www.politicosl.com] A new Finance Act aimed at boosting the donor funded partial Free Health Care (FHC) initiative has been submitted to parliament, the National Revenue Authority has confirmed.

The Act, which also aims at encouraging women’s empowerment, provides for the allocation of 0.5 percent of all GSTs charged to the Free Health Care programme introduced some five years ago to boost access to health care for some of the most vulnerable people in society.

The Finance Act 2016 is an amendment of the current Finance Act, Mohamed Bangura, Corporate Affairs Manager of NRA, told Politico on Monday. He said it seeks to widen the revenue base of the government.

In 2010 the government, through donor support, launched the FHC initiative which provides for a partial free health care for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children under five years old. The move was in response to a high rate of maternal and infant mortality, a legacy of the eleven years civil war.

The UN children’s agency Unicef, the United Kingdom agency for international development,

Media regulator develops rules on reporting emergencies

By Kemo Cham

Inside an unknown Ebola treatment center in Sierra Leone

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The media’s coverage of the Ebola epidemic revealed the need for guidelines for the reportage of emergencies, Sierra Leone’s Independent Media Commission (IMC) has said.

The media regulator said it has therefore instituted plans to develop comprehensive guidelines for reporting on Ebola, other major diseases, and natural disasters. IMC officials said they have secured US$16, 000 from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to bankroll the project that has been estimated at US$18, 000. The IMC will foot the remaining $16, 000.

“This project is important to us particularly when we consider the fact that the Commission’s Media Code of Practice is limited and does not make specific provisions to guide media practitioners in the reportage of such outbreaks and other major national disasters,” said Allieu Kanu, Chairman, IMC.

He told journalists at a press conference last week that the guidelines were expected to significantly contribute to professional and responsible reporting, press

Postgrad medical college for Sierra Leone

By Kemo Cham

Sierra Leone Health Minister Dr Abu Bakarr Fofana

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The Sierra Leone government has set in motion a plan to establish a post graduate medical school in response to a dire need for specialist medical training.

Minister of health and sanitation, Dr Abu Bakarr Fofanah recently confirmed the development shortly after the approval of the ‘Sierra Leone Council for Postgraduate Colleges Act 2016’ by parliament. The passing of the piece of legislation paved the way for the establishment of the body that would oversee the realization of a long held dream for many young medical doctors in the country.

Sierra Leone is struggling to bridge a huge doctor-patient ratio. But even at this the need for specialist practitioners have left young doctors struggling to meet requirements

The sorry state of Sierra Leone’s anaesthetics department

By Kemo Cham

A training session on the Universal Anaesthesia Machine at Connaught Hospital in Freetown

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Imagine you are in surgery involving hacking off of your limb, sewing up of a wound or the removal of a tumor from a part of your body without anything to reduce the pain. What anesthetics dois reduce the pain in the patient.

Anaesthesia is a crucial age old discipline in the medical field, yet it is one of the most poorly developed in Sierra Leone. Those familiar with the department say it is just another casualty of a familiar trend of indifference by a health system barely functioning. Most hospitals across the country do not have enough staff to provide safe anaesthetics, putting many lives at risk, say officials.

Anaesthesia is a surgical discipline that deals with preparing of patients for operation, monitoring the patient throughout the surgery and making sure that they are safe after

Sierra Leone holds first ‘Open Space Conference’ on health

By Kemo Cham

That the West African Ebola epidemic exposed the weakness of the region’s health sector as demonstrated by its devastating impact has been extensively reported on. But the reason for its long-drawn-out nature has hardly been told enough.

That’s what the first ever ‘Open Space Conference’ in Sierra Leone intended to achieve. Organised jointly by the German Institute for Medical Mission (DIAFAEM) and the Sierra Leone Adult Education Association (SLADEA), the three-day (February 2-4) gathering brought together over a 100 people drawn from across diverse backgrounds to discuss the healthcare system and diagnose why the Ebola epidemic may have struck so deep.

Participants, some of whom came from the other two Mano River Basin countries – Guinea and Liberia – were meant to proffer suggestions on ways to boost the health sector.

“We have put the end of Ebola behind us but that’s not the end of it all,” said historian and academic, Professor Joe A.D. Alie, at the opening ceremony at the m

Sierra Leone on target to eliminate leprosy – Official

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Sierra Leone is on target to eliminate the bacterial disease Leprosy, a health official has said in Freetown.

Dr. Lynda Foray, Programme Manager, National Leprosy and TB Control Programme at the ministry of health and sanitation, MoHS, said in the six decades of fight against the disease Sierra Leone had “enviably” reached the prevalence rate of less than one leprosy patient per every ten thousand of the population.

He said that meant that the country had not only reached the elimination target as set out by the World Health organization, WHO, but that it had also been able to maintain it.

According to the ministry, Sierra Leone’s leprosy incidences had progressed as follows: “in 2011 there were 274 cases; in 2013 it was reduced to 202; and by 2014 it significantly came down to 145,” adding that by the end of 2015 the number of new leprosy cases registered went further down to 133.

“All is not lost because leprosy is curable and treatment is available free of cost,” Dr Foray said at the commemoration of the sixty-third World Leprosy Day, last Tuesday [February 2].

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a contagious disease that affects the skin and nerves, and it causes discoloration and lumps on the skin. It primarily affects the peripheral nerves, skin, upper respiratory tract, eyes, and nasal mucosa. In severe cases it causes disfigurement and deformities.

The disease is caused by the rod-shaped bacillus bacterium, known as Mycobacterium leprae.

Researchers are still not clear about the exact mode of transmission of leprosy, although it is widely believed that the bacteria are spread via the respiratory system through nasal droplets. Contact to broken skin is also considered as a possibility, because the M. leprae is believed to survive best at low temperatures and primarily affects the superficial sites of the skin and peripheral nerves.

World Leprosy Day is observed annually around the world to raise global awareness on the disease. The town of Kenema hosted this year’s occasion in Sierra Leone.

It was convened under the theme: “Take action against Stigma and Discrimination Now! Prevent Transmission of Leprosy in Children.”

The MoHS has vowed to take proactive measures to ensure early detection and treatment of the disease with a notable focus on prevention of transmission in children. The ministry is also concerned about acts of discrimination and stigmatization against people affected by leprosy.

Stigma was at the center of the address in a televised speech of the minister of health, Dr. Abu Bakarr Fofanah, in commemoration of the day.

While reiterating the fact that the disease is curable, Dr Fofanah said his ministry was inclined to join hands with the President of the International Federation of Anti- Leprosy Association to counter all acts and forms of discrimination and stigmatization against people affected by leprosy.

“We are taking proactive measures to ensure early detection and treatment of Leprosy, to prevent transmission to children” he said.

The German Leprosy and TB Relief Association (GLRA), and WHO are major partners of the MoHS in the fight against leprosy.

Cyril Johnson, Country Representative of GLRA, reiterated his organisation’s commitment to continue supporting Sierra Leone in the fight to eradicate the disease in the country.

(C) Politico 09/02/16

Maternal death surveillance response launched

By Kemo Cham

[First Published on www.politicosl.com] The Ministry of Health and Sanitation has unveiled a programme aimed at providing real time information and data to inform the management of maternal deaths in the country.

The Maternal Death Surveillance Response (MDSR), according to health officials, would help to provide missing information on maternal deaths for evidence based actions countrywide, so as to enable authorities utilize existing resources and recommend life-saving interventions.

Sierra Leone currently has one of the highest rates of maternal deaths in the world. According to the World Health Organisation’s 2015 figures, the country is among the top 10 countries in the world with the highest maternal mortality ratios (MMR), estimated at 1,360 deaths per 100,000 live births.

The MoHS estimates that 2,400 women do not survive pregnancy and or child birth every year.

Despite the huge spending by government and partners, “the situation remains very challenging,” Dr. Santigie Sesay, Director of Reproduction and Child Health, MoHS, said at the inaugural meeting of the MDSR last week. He declared that it was unacceptable for any woman to die while giving birth.

The MoHS say maternal deaths that occur within communities are usually not recorded, or when obstetric complications occur, it was often too late to save the mother.

MDSR is a form of continuous surveillance that links the health information system and quality improvement processes from local to national level. It involves routine identification, notification, qualification and determination of causes of all maternal deaths. The information generated is then used to respond appropriately to prevent further deaths.

Dr. Sesay cited the cause of death by women as failure to recognize danger signs, poverty which makes it difficult for people to undertake medical expenses, and reluctance by the mother or family to seek medical care. He also blamed inadequate awareness of existing services, as well as shortages of supplies such as emergency medicines or blood as contributing factors to the situation.

Dr Sesay said some of the women die because of inaccessibility to family planning commodities and deliveries by unskilled workers, mostly Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), which increase chances of complications and lead to preventable deaths.

(C) Politico 09/02/16

‘FGM underestimated’ – says UN

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The UN children’s agency,Unicef, hassaid that the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is more widespread than has been reported, according to a recent report.

The report said millions more girls and women worldwide were victims of the widely criticized practice than initial estimates indicated.

It stated that at least 200 million girls and women alive today had undergone cutting, as FGM is also called.

The report, the result of a study covering some 30 countries where the practice was prevalent, indicated that nearly 70 million more girls and women were involved, compared to the estimated figure in 2014.

Somalia tops the list as the country with the highest prevalence of FGM victims with 98 percent of the female population between the ages of 15 and 49 having been subjected to FGM.

The minority voice in Sierra Leone’s abortion debate

By Kemo Cham and Mabinty Kamara

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Those against the ‘Safe Abortion Act 2015’ have been the most vocal on the ongoing debate over the increasingly controversial piece of legislation. This is certainly not because there are not many people who support the enactment of the law; it may just be that they just aren’t being given the platform.

For instance, at the inter-faith summit convened by the Inter Religious Council (IRC) which has given a whole new dimension to the debate, all the voices were from those against the bill. Lawyers, medical doctors, gender activists. But since we are told that the position of the IRC was informed by the views of all Sierra Leoneans, it only makes sense that the debate becomes a little more open.

Politico spoke to two women who share interesting views

Sierra Leone, US discuss Global Health Security

By Kemo Cham

[First publsihed on www.politicosl.com] Sierra Leone is playing host to a delegation from the United States as part of efforts to advance the Global Health Security Agenda(GHSA), the US embassy in Freetown has announced.

The visit which, started yesterday and would continue till 29, January this year would see the US Government team hold discussions with their Sierra Leonean counters, together with international partners on how to push ahead with the initiative in line with the country’s post-Ebola recovery agenda.

The Global Health Security Agenda is a partnership with countries across the world, international organizations and public and private stakeholders. It seeks to accelerate progress toward a world safe and secure from infectious disease threats and to promote global health security as an international security priority.

Sierra Leone Gov’t to investigate Ebola mutation

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] The failure of medical authorities to test for the Ebola virus on the latest Magburaka case may be due to mutation of the virus, a health official has said.

The victim, Marima Jalloh, whose death last week occasioned a setback for the fight against the West African Ebola epidemic, did not present any sign or symptoms associated with the hemorrhagic fever disease when she reported for treatment, said Dr Brima Kargbo, Chief Medical Officer.

“There was no fever when she went to hospital and we all know the cardinal symptom of Ebola is fever,” Dr Kargbo said Saturday at an emergency press conference. He told journalists at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) that joint teams of Sierra Leonean, WHO and other aid agency officials had been dispatched to four districts where the victim traveled to when she fell ill.

Sierra Leone’s abortion debate: A dangerous precedent

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Last week the hopes of pro-abortion campaigners in Sierra Leone were plunged into uncertainty after President Ernest Bai Koroma gave in to pressure from religious leaders who appear to be positioning themselves to use the Bible and Quran to influence the running of what is constitutionally a secular state.

The ‘Safe Abortion Act 2015’, passed last month, was prevented from becoming a law when the President failed to sign it in a move apparently calculated to appease a strategic segment of the population. The Inter Religious Council (IRC), which has convinced itself that the legislation runs contrary to morality, even if it, as its proponents claim, seeks to save lives, asked the President not to sign it.

The Act, passed on December 8, 2015, had been in the making for about five years, with the US-based pro-abortion lobby Ipas at the head of a small coalition championing it. The organization,

Sierra Leone, UN sign Ebola Recovery Fund agreement

By Kemo Cham

[First Published on www.politicosl.com] The government and the United Nations have signed an agreement establishing the Sierra Leone Ebola Recovery Fund (SLERF), paving the way for the creation of an account to fund the country`s post-Ebola development plan.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Dr Kaifala Marah signed on behalf of the government, alongside Dr Gabriel Rugalema, Country Representative of the Food and Agricultural Organisation, who also doubles as the head of the UN system in the country.

The SLERF was created in response to the International Ebola Recovery Conference hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on July 10 in New York, United States, in a bid to garner financial support for the three neighboring Mano River Union countries hardest hit by the viral epidemic. Details of the Trust Fund, developed and finalized with the technical and financial support from the

Sierra Leone: Therapeutic food for malnourished kids sold in market

By Kemo Cham

[First published on www.politicosl.com] Sierra Leone risks losing much needed funding for its malnutrition programme because of corruption and illegal sale of therapeutic foods meant for malnourished children, a health official warned on Wednesday.

Unscrupulous business people connive with corrupt health officials to divert plumpy nut paste supplied to children enrolled under the country`s therapeutic feeding programme and sold in open market, said Ms Aminata Shamit Koroma, Director of Nutrition at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS). She said the high prevalence of the illegal act has left donors unsettled and threatening to withhold funding if the situation was not addressed.

The health ministry is therefore threatening prosecution of anyone found to be involved in the act.

Plumpy nuts are made from peanuts and specifically formulated to feed severely acute malnourished children.

Sierra Leone has one of the highest rates of malnutrition, at 39 percent, according to statistics. The phenomenon is said to be the leading cause of

Sierra Leone Religious Council slams Abortion Law

By Kemo Cham

[First published by www.politicosl.com] Barely two weeks after its enactment, Sierra Leone’s new Abortion Act, has met with a major stumbling block after religious bodies warned the president against signing it into law.

Politico learnt that the influential Inter Religious Council (IRC) has asked President Ernest Bai Koroma not to sign it.

The ‘Safe Abortion Act 2015’ was passed by parliament on Tuesday December 8, about five years since campaigners began lobbying for a reform of the current law in existence since 1861.

Its proponents say it is aimed at protecting lives as many women and girls have died due to unsafe abortion.

According to the World Health Organisation, around one in 70 women in Sierra Leone dies during or shortly after childbirth. And about one-third of these deaths, say campaigners, are related to unsafe abortion.

Because the current law prohibits abortion in all forms, women and girls are forced to undergo it undercover, often by untrained health workers and in unsafe environments.

The amended law widens the scope for women to conduct abortion. They are entirely free to do so during