The Head of the European Union Delegation in Sierra Leone, Ambassador Manuel Muller, on behalf of the Czech Republic, on Friday, May 27, 2022, handed over 200 hospital beds to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS).
The donation is aimed at increasing the number of hospitals beds across the country especially when responding to emergency.
It should be recalled that in November last year, a fuel tanker exploded in Wellington killing hundreds of people while hundreds suffered serious injuries. In their response to the incident, the European Union reported the situation to the Coordination Centre of the European Union in Brussels that liaised with European Union member states. In that regard, they thereby showed their solidarity by sending urgent and important medical materials to Sierra Leone, and the 200-hospital beds were part of their support in response to the emergency.
Ambassador Mullers said the donation to the health sector was a collective effort of Team Europe, as they want to show their solidarity in crucial moment.
He said that there are also some things which should be seen in a long-term perspective, “but if an incident happened you need the urge to support future situation for the health sector in general”.
He added that they are grateful to the Government of Czech Republic that had offered 200 hospital beds to Ministry of Health, adding that the beds would create a relevance in the hospital capacity.
“This shows how Europe works; it not only about the EU commission but also all the member states. Let me underline my gratitude to the Czech Republic and I am very happy the European Union member state had given such an important support,” Muller said.
Representative of the Czech Republic Ambassador, Jirina Kafkova said during the wake of the Wellington fuel tanker explosion, she received many phone calls for support and a huge wave of solidarity was seen among the population of the Czech Republic.
“The incident was in the media in Czech. The people were shocked by the model of truth and the magnitude of the consequences of the incident,” Kafkova said.
She noted that as a medical professional that has worked for five years with the Ministry of Health and Sanitations, she is delighted the government of Czech donated the 200 hospital beds and hoped that it will help to strengthen the health service provisions in terms of quality and availability.
She highlighted that, even though the two countries have no historical background, but both countries share a lot in common adding that they have almost the same population and same size.
It is her hope that the donation would strengthen collaboration between Czech Republic and Sierra Leone.
The Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitations, Princess Dugba said that it an honour to be part of the handing over ceremony of hospital beds which was as a direct result of the bilateral relations that had existed between the two countries.
She assured all that the beds will be used for its intended purpose as it came at a point when it is needed.
She recalled that during the Wellington blast, many of the injured were taken to several hospitals and health centers around Freetown, adding that some of the health facilities were overwhelmed by victims. He said that incident highlights the need to establish specialized Burn Care Center in the Country and the provision of hospital equipment.
She is optimistic that EU will continue to support and strengthen the health system in Sierra Leone.
By George M.O. Williams