By George M.O. Williams
The only drug rehabilitation centre in Sierra Leone, City of Rest, has halted operation after the facility was completely burnt down by fire in April of 2023.
Rehabilitation of the facility is yet to commence because the institution’s management is constrained with funding, in spite of the fact that progress has been made to solicit support from donors, individuals and the Government of Sierra Leone.
City of Rest is a mental health and substance abuse rehabilitation institution that deals with a range of mental health issues, the facility is situated in Grafton.
City of Rest cooperates with the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital (SLPTH) as the hospital refers patients in need of rehabilitation to the Centre vice versa.
The Program Coordinator of City of Rest, Augusta Johnny said that since the institution halted operation many people who abused substance do not have access to rehabilitation.
She added that patients who had been at the facility before the inferno have been returned to their families, adding that some of them are doing well while others have not improved or even worsened.
“However, there were few, about six of them, that remained in the facility who were not affected by the fire, because they were unfit to return home,” Jonny said.
She added that they have sent letter requesting for financial support to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Ministry of Planning and Economic Development but they are yet to receive their response.
Jonny mentioned that they have to do some regularization regarding the registration of the facility with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), which she added after completion will enable the Ministry to send some of its staff to the facility.