Kailahun, Sierra Leone Records 13 Maternal Deaths
The Medical Superintendent of Kailahun Government Hospital, Dr. Francis Lansana has disclosed that 13 maternal deaths were recorded in the entire district in 2018. (Photo: Dr. Francis Lansana, Kailahun Government Hospital)
Dr. Francis Lansana, who also Head of the District Health Management Team (DHMT), was responding to questions in an exclusive interview with The Health Newspaper in Kailahun Town on Saturday 26th January, 2019.
According to the Medical Superintendent, maternal and infant mortality cases have reduced drastically, adding that the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) is working tirelessly to ensure teenage pregnancy, maternal and infant deaths are eradicated.
Dr. Lansana explained that all those 13 maternal deaths were not only investigated, but the causes were also discovered and recommendations made to prevent recurrence. He disclosed that before now, there was only one ward that operated as a Paediatric Department and to address maternal issues, but currently, he said, they can boast of having a well-equipped one hundred beds capacity hospital.
Dr. Lansana furthered that they now experience more influx of patients at the hospital than in the past as a result of the positive development taking place there, adding that in the past, they admitted only 30 patients or even less in a day as a result of limited space. He said they can now admit over a hundred patients per day because of the extension of the hospital facilities with advanced operating theatre and surgical utensils.
One of the biggest challenges, Dr. Lansana said, is the poor road network that prevent the free movement of people from rural areas to urban cities for quality medical administration, adding that Kailahun District has the poorest road network nationwide.
Another challenge he highlighted was the issue of donating blood. According to Dr. Lansana, most times many people disassociate themselves from saving the lives of colleagues or siblings through their unwillingness to donate blood, adding that the Free Healthcare Initiative does not cater for people in need of blood.
The Medical Superintendent also spoke about the hospital refrigerator that preserves blood, adding that based on agreement with donors, the blood would cost between Le50-60,000 because a few people always volunteered to donate blood even on World Blood Donor Day.
He disclosed that a 24-month project would be implemented to raise more awareness on the importance of donating blood and also assured that they would soon receive ambulance vehicles from the Government.
He said they would be happy to receive the ambulances to help reduce maternal and infant mortality, adding that the Free Healthcare delivery system in the district is almost 100%.
By Alhassan Bangura
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