Sierra Leone’s Appalling Health System
Like many under-developed countries across the globe, Sierra Leone’s health system is nothing to write home about. What makes it very appalling is our inability to provide ordinary remedy let alone adequate treatment for ailments that do not kill people so often in other parts of the world.
Although some of these diseases may be proving to be incurable even in developed countries basic treatment remains far fetched here prompting patients to go abroad for diagnosis and medical attention.
The diseases include: Liver Sclerosis, Hepatitis B and C, Leukemia (cancer) and Sickle cell. While liver transplant is virtually impossible in Sierra Leone, treatment for both hepatitis B and CÂ and Leukemia are non-existent. There is also no cure for sickle cell.
The statistics for the above diseases are grim in terms of the lives they have claimed. While health authorities have refused to make available accurate statistics to the media for fear of creating alarm, one thing is certain though; people without the means to seek medical attention overseas for the aforementioned ailments have no option but to resign themselves to fate and die slowly or mysteriously survive through divine intention.
I am saying this authoritatively based on research and confirmation by senior medical officers who chose to remain anonymous for obvious reasons. Besides, a couple of my relatives who contracted the disease in question could not make it.
This is a serious cause for concern. How can a whole country sit back and watch its citizens condemned to death by merely contracting certain diseases? Even Ghana has been able to establish the relevant medical infrastructure and facilities to respond to these debilitating cases.
And interestingly, Ghana in recent years has been the destination for average citizens largely because of its close proximity and less expenses to access.
When Sierra Leoneans will have the opportunity to get treatment within the country for such diseases to save the enormous cost involved is the million dollar question.
Isata Mansaray, Freetown
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