Hundreds of community people receive free medical treatment

As part of their effort to reduce the high rate of illnesses in Africa, the Health Mission to Sierra
Leone, a Specialist doctor from the United State of America has concluded a four-day free
medical treatment to hundreds of community people with different illnesses at four community
health centers in the Western Area of Freetown. The Free medical treatment which started at the
Waterloo Community Health Center on Monday 23 May, Rush Road Community Health Center
on Tuesday 24 May, the Goderich Community Health Center on Wednesday 25 May and ended
at the Aberdeen Community Health Center on Thursday 26, 2022 brings together hundreds of
people to benefit from the free medical treatment.

Speaking to Beyond Borders, the Team Lead for Health Mission to Sierra Leone, Dr. Olabisi
Jagun said they have visited so many countries in Africa but however, but she added she was
fortunate to convince a team of wonderful, very brilliant experts in medicine to come to Sierra
Leone. She continued that they have been in the country for the past few weeks, disclosing that
they have offered free medical treatment to vulnerable people and they have been able to
treat hundreds of people, giving them wonderful and quality medication.

Sharing her experiences since she has been in the country, Dr. Olabisi Jagun said it has been very
smooth but she, however, raised concern that she was a little beat distressful that a lot of patients
are walking around with very high blood pressure and very high blood sugar and that they are
not even aware of it. “Diabetes and hypertension are so common, they are called the “silent killer” and so what I have been doing is by instructing patients that they have to do a regular check-up, and regular screening so these problems can be picked up at a very earlier stage where it can be manageable. Because hypertension goes up for so long, patients can get strokes and it is too late to do anything about it once you have a stroke. So the earlier we detect it through regular check-ups then the sooner we can start treating them so we can prevent the complication. Other than that everything has gone very
smoothly and we are optimistic that working with the Ministry of Health we will be able to come
back on a more regular basis to do more of this kind of outreach” she said.

Expressing thanks and appreciation at the Aberdeen Community Health Center, one of the beneficiaries, Moses T. George expressed that he was grateful for such a gesture from the Health Mission to Sierra Leone. He disclosed that he has been suffering from malaria and other illnesses and has been taking so many medications but no improvement, but with the intervention of the Health Mission to Sierra Leone he added, and the free treatment he received he was optimistic that his health condition would improve.

Mariam Sow, Special Adviser, and Gender Main Streaming and Diaspora Engagement at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, also expressed thanks and appreciation and said she was very pleased, on behalf of the Minister, to host the team. She informed that when she was appointed by the Current Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, one thing first he wanted to add in all the other priority areas was engaging the Sierra Leonean Diasporas and to an extent all other non-Sierra Leoneans who have a strong network with Sierra Leoneans, else her office was created. “So what we do is we look for Sierra Leoneans in the Diasporas and people who have connections with Sierra Leone and who are in the health field, we encourage them to come and work with us. So as you heard from Dr. Olabisi Jagun they don’t only come to provide services to our most vulnerable Sierra Leoneans for free but they also transfer knowledge which is very much important because we want it to sustainable, the day we cannot have them in the country we want to make sure our own health professionals have the required skill to be able to help
vulnerable Sierra Leoneans” she explained.

By Mohamed Amara Gando