Free Health Care, no Minister of Health

The free medical health care services launched President Ernest Koroma one month ago is a laudable step taken in achieving the Agenda for Change. Prior to this time, Sierra Leoneans have been yearning for free health care opportunity to come. Now that the long awaited free health care delivery is here to salvage the health problems facing the most vulnerable of our society, compatriot Sierra Leoneans should make use of it judiciously rather than sabotaging it. (Photo: former Minister of Health and Sanitation, Sheku Tejan Koroma)

The recently launched free medical services targeting under five children, lactating mothers and pregnant women has started creating impact as the high rate of infant mortality and maternal rates are on the decrease according to medical authorities at Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH)

As the free health care programme is an anticipated nation wide benefit, people are hoping to see that it reaches the remotest village in Sierra Leone. For some district head quarter towns where the free medical services have reached, the intended beneficiaries are complaining that the drugs prescribed for them are not worthy to cure the type of ailments they complain about. It could be remembered that since the inception of the free drugs delivery, rumors with tangible evidences have been circulating that the drugs are on sale in the streets of Freetown.

Some deprived beneficiaries of the Free Medical have intimated to Sierra Express Media (SEM) that they been diagnosed of certain illnesses of which there are no appropriate medicine to remedy them.

Whilst these anomalies are going on in the health sector, some concerned Sierra Leoneans have relentlessly bent on asking the question why there is no health Minister since the laying–off of the former health Minister Mr. Tejan Koroma.

It would interest President Koroma and his ‘Brazilian Team’ to know that the long-time vacuum created in the health ministry has been the main deterrent sabotaging the effective delivery of the free medical service to its targeted beneficiaries.

In a functional management system wherein the various units are interrelated and inter-dependent on one another, the sudden break down of one part would automatically lead to the eventual collapse of the whole management. This situation analyzed here as to what leads to the break down of a formidable system can likened to what is prevailing in the health ministry. Certainly, where truth is to be obviously established, the current Deputy Health and Sanitation minister, Mohamed D. Koroma is very pragmatic in running the ministry, but at the sometime he cannot be a spider to oversee that efficient work is been done in all the sub-units and department in the ministry.

This is not about praise-singing journalism; praises are due to those who deserve them. Minister D. Koroma is just human, but the untiring effort he is making in ensuring that the ministry thrives is worth applauding.

The people of this nation want to see the appointment of a new minister of Health and Sanitation as time is of essence in the execution of the Agenda for Change. Sierra Leoneans would be no ingrate but to sing songs when they see a result- oriented Ministry of Health and Sanitation at the end of your first term in office. Many peace-loving and development-oriented Sierra Leoneans have confided in SEM that they are more than grateful for the free health care and its continuity will be a legacy to generations yet unborn.

Politics in Sierra Leone today is all about legacy. If you are fortunate to be in the corridors of power make sure you leave indelible legacies, because even after you would have gone, your sworn enemies would reflect and say yes you did. That last Saturday cleaning is indeed left by the Khaki-boys. It doesn’t matter which regime did it, as long as it was in the interest of every Sierra Leone it is a laudable legacy.

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