UN Resident Coordinator visits UNFPA-supported projects in Makeni.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator Mr Babatunde Ahonsi, accompanied by UNFPA Officer-in-Charge Mr. Jocelyn Fenard visited UNFPA projects in Makeni on Wednesday, 3 November 2021. The UN delegation toured the Makeni Government Hospital and the School of Midwifery to witness first-hand UNFPA support to these two health institutions in Bombali District. 

UNFPA provides technical support to the Government of Sierra Leone in four areas, namely, integrated sexual and reproductive health, gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health, and population data for development.

At the Makeni Government Hospital, UNFPA supported the placement of experienced obstetricians and gynaecologists, and midwives to provide services at the Hospital on a full-time basis, including technical support, and capacity building for junior doctors and house officers, surgical assistants, midwives, and nurses. The agency also supported the construction of the maternity wing with funding from the UK Government.

With assistance from the People’s Republic of China, UNFPA has supported the establishment of the Reproductive Health Centre at the Hospital to provide comprehensive reproductive health services such as cervical cancer screening and family planning services. 

UNFPA has also assisted the Hospital with High Dependency Units (HDUs) to ensure high quality of care for women with obstetric complications. The HDU is a specialized section of the maternity wing used to care for pregnant and postnatal women with life-threatening complications related to pregnancy or childbirth. 

Makeni Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Mohamed G Sheku received the RC and his team. He expressed thanks to UNFPA for the support they have been receiving from the agency but cited challenges, including shrinking funding streams. Dr Sheku said that these, if not addressed, would hamper their efforts to reduce infant and maternal mortality, and teenage pregnancy. The Medical Superintendent disclosed that this year alone, the district has reported thirty-three maternal deaths and that while there is free healthcare for children under five, medical supplies for caring for pregnant women and lactating mothers are inadequate.

The RC noted the issues raised by Dr Sheku, recognizing that some external support has contracted due to COVID-19. The RC expressed hope for the continued support of UNFPA and other partners in the country. 

At the School of Midwifery, Mr Ahonsi was met by Ms Francess Fornah, the Head of the School. She thanked the RC for the visit and UNFPA for their several interventions in support of the institution.

UNFPA has been assisting the School of Midwifery in Makeni over the last ten years in collaboration with other development partners. This includes providing funds for uniforms, tuition fees, student stipends, books, ICT equipment, among others, all aimed at increasing the number of competent midwives in the country to address the gap in the midwifery workforce. UNFPA supports faculty members to attain higher education at bachelor’s degree and masters’ degree levels to improve the quality of teaching. In 2020, UNFPA supported five faculty members from the School of Midwifery in Makeni to attain such education, and they are still receiving this support.