My name is Clifford Kamara. In 1972, I was awarded a M.D from the Kharkov Medical Institute, Kharkov, USSR. From 1972 to 1975, I underwent my housemanship training in the areas of surgery, pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology in all the major hospitals in Freetown.

Dr Clifford Kamara, Director of Planning and Information.

In the following year, I was a practicing Government Medical Officer at the Connaught Hospital, the main referral hospital in Sierra Leone. I was made the Medical Officer in charge of the Out-Patients Department at the Hospital from 1978 to 1980. In that same year, I obtained a Certificate in Health Planning and Management from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.

On my return, I was made the District Medical Officer in charge of Primary Health, Bombali District. In 1982, I also obtained certificate in Planning Management Systems from the University of North Carolina, USA. In 1987, I obtained a Masters in Public Health from the Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. On my return in August that year, I was made the Head of the Planning and Information Unit of the MOHS. I was appointed lecturer in the Department of Community Health Care, College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, University of Sierra Leone in 1989.

In 1993, I obtained a Certificate in Data for Decision Making from the Harvard School of Public Health. I am a member of organizations such as WHO, UNICEF, World Bank etc.

I was part of the team responsible for the inception of this unit and as such, my responsibilities include the development of a National Health Information Unit, monitoring and evaluation of offices in all districts.

I am also responsible for facilitating the National Health Planning process, with the elaboration of a Three Year Rolling Plan and its annual revision and update.