The Managing Director of the National Medical Supplies Agency, Dr. Lawrence Sandy, has raised serious concern over inadequate distribution of free healthcare medical supplies. He attributed the inadequacy to the failure of the Government of Sierra Leone and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office formerly Department for International Development (DFID) to conclude a US$ 24 million agreement for the purchase of medical supplies each year.
He made this disclosure on Wednesday November 18, 2020 when discussing the distribution of the fourth quarter of the Free Healthcare medical supplies with Radio Democracy 98.1FM.
Sandy said that because of the inadequacy not all the health facilities would receive the full medical supplies. He added that the supplies of the free medical supplies would be done in order of preference in health facilities across the country.
He mentioned that the current government has taken the free healthcare scheme as a signatory priority with an agreement with DFID in 2018, in which government would fund the drug aspect of the free health care programme. He said that in that regard, government committed 10%, 30% and 50% of DFID entire sponsorship in 2018, 2019 and 2020, respectively; adding that due to COVID-19 the government committed 35% for 2020 instead of the initial 50%, while the remaining 15% goes to school health care.
He said that in running a social program in a bid to cater for vulnerable people, an individual has to be pragmatic, upfront and honest, adding that in 2018 they quantified the prevalence of disease burden across the country which gave them the opportunity to make informed decision on the medical needs of health facilities which brought the actual amount of medical supplies in every outlet to 227, thus amounting to US$24 million dollars yearly with over 40 hospital and over 1, 300 Public Health Units (PHU).
Sandy mentioned that the free health care program was a good initiative setup by the previous government in 2010 considering its targeted population – pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under-five.
He cited that sustainability is paramount for the operationalization of the program, claiming that in 2010 when it was launched, there had been no plan to sustain the initiative because the drugs aspect of the scheme was totally funded by DFID.
“In 2010 because the free healthcare is a government initiative which makes it socially viable, therefore the drug aspect should not be rested on the shoulders of donors,” he said, adding diagnostics material, drugs and other medical supplies to enable clinicians to perform their job smoothly were missing at the initial stage of the scheme.
He furthered that if such key aspect was missing in the scheme, the free healthcare initiative was equal to an empty shell, adding that by 2016 to 2017 the donors slowly started to step aside in their sponsorship because they thought it was a government initiative and they could not wholly fund the initiative.
In 2010, the Government of Sierra Leone introduced the Free Healthcare Initiative (FHCI), making a package of basic healthcare services available for free to pregnant and lactating mothers and children under five. The main objective of this initiative is to bring down Sierra Leone’s high maternal, infant and child mortality rates, and improve general health indicators in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The FHCI’s success has been hampered by problems that have exposed a lack of accountability within Sierra Leone’s health services.
The Minister of Finance during his budget speech for the financial year 2021 allocated Le794.2 billion for the health sector which represented 11 % of the total budget, which covers the salaries of healthcare professionals in the health-related agencies; transfers to NaCOVERC, improving access to quality and basic health services, reproductive and child health care services, hospitals and ambulance services.
According to the Minister, Le64.8 billion is allocated to the National Medical Supplies Agency for the procurement of Free Health Care drugs and other essential drugs and medical supplies for the scheme.
By George M.O. Williams
19/11/2020. ISSUE NO: 7954