I have been acting as Matron of the Port Loko Government Hospital for five years now and have diligently served the health sector for 30 years, beginning as State Enrolled Nurse and ending up as a Senior Ward Sister.

* Hawa Janneh, Acting Matron, Port Loko Government Hospital

Health care delivery in Port Loko District is good. We admit cases and treat rape victims and the vulnerable members of society free, while others are handled on cost-recovery basis. Our patients though poor and find it difficult to meet with the cost-recovery system, receive total care and satisfactory services, which are administered without any form of discrimination, despite the serious constraints facing us.

During the war, the Hospital was vandalized and partially destroyed. It was rehabilitated by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation as soon as the war was declared over, with funding provided by the German Government. The rehabilitation work was done by an indigenous company known as TERA TECH. It was officially handed over to us January 25, 2001 and has continued to operate since.

The Hospital, with 78 admission beds, comprises four wards, namely Male, Female, Maternity and Children. It also has a functioning mortuary and theatre. Unfortunately there is only one professionally trained and qualified medical doctor at the hospital in the person of Ibrahim J. Kargbo-Labour, the District Medical Officer.

We always do our best to maintain a clean and healthy atmosphere within the vicinity, but the hospital has however grown out of age and size, and deserves complete overhauling, including the putting up of additional structures. This is in view of the fact that the current structures are Colonial structures and can no longer adequately serve their purpose.

We have been benefiting from NGO support and interventions including The International Medical Corps (IMC) which provided us with drug and medical care and also provided incentive for the hospital staff, with funds provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAIDS) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and the Humanitarian Aid Division of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINBUZA).  They left in 2003 with the entire township still yearning for their continued support.

There was also Action De La Faim (Action Against Hunger) which was replaced by MSF Holland who also left the district in 2002. Moreover, the UN agency WHO provided us with therapeutic feeding for malnourished children.

In the areas of water supply to the Hospital we count upon the support of ACF and TERRA TECH who each dug a well for us within the Hospital compound. The one by the former which was experiencing problems is currently being repaired in addition to two new ones which are being constructed by CAN Construction of 10 Old Makeni Road, funded by MEDICOS.

One of the most gratifying things that have happened to the Hospital is the fact that most of the community people who used to bypass us for the Mabeseneh Hospital or traditional healers in the past are now willingly patronizing us mainly due to our welcoming atmosphere, the cost-effectiveness and quality of the services we offer.