The Southern Regional office of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has on Thursday November 19, 2020, held a customised meeting with healthcare stakeholders in Bo to discuss reports of alleged misappropriation of drugs meant for the Free Healthcare programme.
The meeting which took place at the Conference Room of the ACC’s Regional Office was attended by officials from the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone, Bo Government Hospital, the Bo District Health Management Team and members of the Pharmacy Business Association.
Explaining the key provisions in the Anti-Corruption Act 2008 as Amended in 2019, the Southern Regional Manager ACC, Musa Jawara, emphasized the need for partnership and professionalism as they serve as road map to strengthening integrity, transparency and accountability in the health sector. He also stated that misappropriation of the Free Healthcare Drugs has often led to many deaths and other unfortunate situations.
The entities concerned with the management and distribution of Free Healthcare drugs should have proper records on the use of the said drugs, Manager emphasized.
Mr. Jawara also made reference to the 2019 National Corruption Perceptions Survey commissioned by the Public Financial Management Consortium led by the Centre for Accountability and Rule of Law (CARL), which notes that 53 % of respondents said that, people paid bribes while trying to access public health services.
He therefore called on the healthcare workers to adhere to the public health policies geared towards providing quality services to the public. With that, Sierra Leone will stand a better chance in making gains in health indicators, Manager Jawara furthered.
Reacting to allegations of misappropriation of drugs meant for Free Healthcare programme, Dr. T.M. Kallon of the Bo District Health Management Team said, the public concerns expressed by the ACC will be transformed into strategic dialogue and that appropriate actions will be taken to improve service delivery. He solicited the support of the Commission in their quest to build a corrupt-free healthcare system.
The Lead Pharmacist of the Bo Government Hospital, Francis Lahai said the Government of Sierra Leone only procures “fundamentally essential drugs for some of the most common sicknesses” and that this creates problems when patients are told about the unavailability of drugs not supplied by the Ministry of Health.
In spite of these challenges, he said, there are many layers of robust monitoring of healthcare services especially in the distribution of drugs.
Speaking on behalf of members of the Pharmacy Business Association, the Chairman of the Association, Mohamed Q. Sesay, said they agreed, in consultation with Pharmaceutical Business Partners, to establish an Integrity Management Committee within their structures to comply with Government policies and restrict the sale of counterfeit drugs and Free Healthcare drugs.
He pledged his Association’s commitment to taking every step as may be necessary to fully support the vision of the Commission, as eradicating corruption in the health sector cannot be won without the collective effort of all individuals.
By Mohamed A. Kabba (PEO)
26/11/2020. ISSUE NO: 7958