AYV News, December 11, 2024
Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (Cottage) has reduced death related to child birth by 11.7 percent in the last six months.
Data from the Ministry of Health shows that the hospital cut down deaths of pregnant women and new mothers from 17 in March to just 2 in September 2024.
This was largely attributed to the installation of reliable power supply as part of the government’s hospital electrification programme.
The hospital provides care for an approximate 15,000 patients annually, according to the Ministry, noting that majority of the beneficiaries are pregnant women.
Officials say this is development at PCMH is part of a larger success story in the health sector, which entails a drastic reduction in maternal mortality nationwide.
Sierra Leone, until recently, was among countries with the highest number of maternal and child deaths, a legacy of the country’s civil war which saw its infrastructure destroyed.
Reports of babies dying due to power cuts at PCMH and nearby Ola During Children’s Hospital (ODCH) became very common recently as the country struggled a huge deficit of power.
Minister of Health, Dr Austin Demby, said the gains in the investment in the hospital electrification programme is the increase in safe deliveries in the facilities.
“There is a real transformation happening in these facilities and this is evident in the number of safe deliveries and the level of excitement among patients and staff,” Dr Demby said during an inspection ceremony of the solar powered facility at PCMH.
“We are very proud of these improvements and we are determined to replicate these success stories in other parts of the country,” the Minister added during the ceremony that was attended by Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh and a visiting Liberian delegation headed by its Health Minister, Dr. Louise M. Kpoto.
PCMH is one of six hospitals that make up the second phase of the project. The other beneficiary health facilities in this phase are the ODCH, which shares the same compound with PCMH, Masanga Hospital, Kambia Government Hospital, and Bonthe Government Hospital.
