The newly refurbished OPD department at PCMH was commissioned by the Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby.
A remarkable transformation has begun at the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH) as the outpatient department (OPD), is now fully rehabilitated with new medical equipment and a pharmacy. This facelift, made possible through funding from the Italian NGO Cuamm/Doctors with Africa, will greatly boost service delivery, quality of care and staff morale.
The excitement of staff was palpable as the Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby unveiled the newly refurbished OPD building. Dr. Demby could barely hold his elation as he danced to a popular song, “There is something I love to do,” sung by the nurses.
The narratives around service delivery at PCMH are changing rapidly. There have been challenges with electricity, medical supplies and other equipment and all these affected quality of care in no small measure. Maternal deaths were of serious concern at the facility. In fact, in March this year, the hospital recorded 17 maternal deaths, which raised serious alarm. But, things are changing for the better. The number of maternal deaths have been slashed from 17 in March to only 2 in September, which represents an encouraging 11.7% reduction.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, left, cuts the tape of the newly rehabilitated OPD department at PCMH
Minister Demby, who looked visibly overwhelmed with joy, congratulated the health workers, describing them as “the mothers of high quality care to pregnant women and suckling mothers.” He encouraged them to continue doing what they do best emphasizing the need for the facility and the equipment provided to be properly managed for better health outcomes.
In the past, Sierra Leone was described as one of the worst places to become a mother due to the alarming maternal and child deaths indices. But, this narrative has now changed and in particular, the past two years has witnessed a steep decline in maternal deaths of over 60%, one of the lowest in the African sub-region.
This is mainly because of the overwhelming dedication and commitment of the Demby-led administration to address this anomaly. PCMH, as the Minister puts it, “is contributing greatly to this success as the staff here have now set themselves a target of zero maternal deaths.”
One of the newly rehabilitated wards at PCMH equipped with some of the latest medical equipment to enhance effective service delivery.
The Princess Christian Maternity Hospital receives on average 15000 to 16000 patients every year and the majority of these are pregnant women and suckling mothers. Before the rehabilitation, the flow of patients was seriously impacted by the lack of space at the hospital. Three to four beds were cramped in very tight space making care for clients very challenging. The facility also had electricity problems forcing nurses to use cell phone lights and handheld lanterns to attend to patients at night.
Dr. Amadu Sesay is the Acting Medical Superintendent of PCMH. He describes the benefits of this new development at the facility in this short audio explainer.