I am a Senior Ward Sister and State Enrolled Nurse, currently acting as Matron at the Kambia Government Hospital, a position that I have held for two years.

Francess Pierce, Acting Matron, Kambia Government Hospital

 I came to serve the Kambia people from The Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (Cottage) in Freetown where I was Ward Sister and Assistant Matron. I have served the health sector for 20 years, beginning as a student nurse and diligently rising through the ranks to become what I am today.

When I came here after the war, I was told that the Hospital with 93 admission beds was completely burnt down during the war. It has since been reconstructed, with three main wards, namely Male, Female/Maternity and Paediatric. In addition, it can boast of a functioning theatre, mortuary, conference hall, under-five clinic, cold room, outpatient, dispensary, laboratory, district drugs store and six modern staff quarters in addition to the quarter of the District Medical Officer. Moreover, a new maternity ward is under construction close to the Paediatric Ward.

In the areas of transport, the Hospital has an ambulance donated by UNHCR in August 2005, when it was reopened to the public and handed over to us. It also has a utility van donated by Cheltenham, an affiliated hospital based in England. There are also two utility vans at the disposal of peripheral health units.

Common ailments reported here are malaria, respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted infections and malnutrition. As for HIV/AIDS, we have trained and qualified counselors who are working hand in glove with other health personnel to help mitigate the spread of the disease in the district.

We can also count upon the support of NGOs and religious missions who have been very supportive to health care delivery in the district, including MSF Holland which runs the Paediatric Ward and handles obstetric emergency cases. Like the Baptist, Ahmadist and Wesleyan Missions, these people used to run their own centre before taking over these at the hospital, and are performing remarkably well.

It will interest you to know that all the peripheral health units have been fully decentralized by Government to the Local District Council and drug and medical services remain free for the vulnerable, while others are attended to on cost-recovery basis.

Government through the Ministry of Health and Sanitation is really trying, but we are however faced with a number of challenges which include staff shortage and poor salary and conditions of service, which are preventing other trained and qualified colleagues from coming to the provinces. This problem is worsened by the inadequate and untimely supplies of drugs and consumables.