Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, left, and The Republic of Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Sierra Leone, H.E. Ali Ibrahim Alheji, shake hands after a very successful meeting.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, has met with the Saudi Arabia Ambassador to Sierra Leone, H.E. Ali Ibrahim Alheji, to discuss progress of an estimated $USD 50 million landmark healthcare partnership between the two nations.
This collaboration, which underscores the ministry’s emphasis on mutually beneficial bilateral relations, will see the Saudi Fund for Development provide a loan to construct a modern-day hospital on a 300-acre land at KerryTown. The Ministry of Health (MoH) aims to establish a medical city on this ground, which is anchored in this ambitious hospital project.
The city will include the first cancer diagnostic center in Sierra Leone supported, with state-of-the-art equipment, by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a pharma-grade warehouse, funded by the Global Fund, and an oxygen manufacturing plant.
The Minister expressed gratitude for the loan and emphasized the impact that this Saudi-funded hospital project will have. “This project has the potential to serve 1.5 million people from its strategic location in Kerry Town where it will provide critical healthcare services,” he said.
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, right, in discussion with The Republic of Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Sierra Leone, H.E. Ali Ibrahim Alheji, for an estimated $USD50 healthcare partnership that will see the construction of a modern-day hospital at KerryTown.
Minister Demby also announced that the loan agreement had been ratified by Parliament and assured the Ambassador of the government’s readiness to begin construction as soon as possible. For the Saudi Ambassador, it is a pleasure to work with the Government of Sierra Leone, confirming that they are ready to release the first tranche of funding as soon as the necessary ratification documents are received. Minister Demby, meanwhile, assured the H.E. Ali Ibrahim Alheji that the required documentation would be sent promptly through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, adding that a three-way call between all relevant project players be held to expedite expectations and improve on coordination.