Speaking to the management and staff in the Hospital’s Conference Hall in Magburaka, ACC Regional Manager North- Abu Bakarr Kamara expressed delight over the fair representation of staff from the various units within the hospital. Manager Kamara informed his audience that PNB is a component of the Commission’s role with a specific targeted intervention to address system weaknesses in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). He acknowledged that bribery has affected efficient service delivery in almost every sector in the country. The Manager admonished his audience that bribery will not stop until public officials change their behaviors positively for a better Sierra Leone.
Manager Kamara admitted that though the reports are compiled by ACC, they depict people’s experiences while interacting with public officials in the PNB targeted institutions. The Manager emphasized that reports from the PNB portal is the end product of the process and indicated a uniform pattern of bribery in the targeted institutions and districts. He highlighted some of the areas in the health sector that the reports pointed out and which should be areas of concern for health authorities. Manager Kamara called on the Medical Superintendent to deduce from the reports and develop strategies to combat bribery in his institution.
In his statement, ACC Public Education Officer Abdulai Saccoh dilated on the term bribe: noting that it takes place where there is a consensus between the giver and the receiver. Saccoh informed staff of the hospital that PNB has now got a national spread as reports emanated from Tonkolili District will be recorded and shared with sector heads to take appropriate actions.
The Public Educator intimated his audience that the role of health practitioners in the Pay No Bribe Campaign is to dispense fair treatment to all patients, publish all user fees for services delivered at the hospital through regular sensitization of staff on the PNB so as to curb bribery and petty corruption. Saccoh implored them to imbibe the values of impartiality, professionalism, selflessness, transparency and accountability in the discharge of their duties.
Giving an overview of PNB, ACC Public Education Officer Abdul Karim Bangura disclosed that the PNB is an anonymous reporting platform that provides Sierra Leoneans an opportunity to report incidence of bribery. Bangura further stated that the PNB is not prosecution focused; rather, it seeks to invoke administrative actions or systems review and policy reforms in order to address bribery in the MDAs namely; education, health, water, energy and Sierra Leone Police. He informed his audience that citizens can report through the PNB free line 515 on all telephone networks, the website: www.pnb.gov.sl, or on the mobile application in three major languages.
The Coordinator-Animator, MADAM Sierra Leone, Edward Conteh said their role as civil society organization in the PNB is to promote and facilitate citizens’ access to the PNB reporting system, focuses on its animation work with members of the public within Bombali and the neighboring districts. MADAM also involved in community engagements, radio discussion programs to discuss issues relating to the campaign and work in close collaboration with ACC.
The engagement was climaxed with a question and answer session.
The PNB program is funded with 4.7 million British pounds from the UK Government in financial aid and technical assistance.
PNB is led jointly by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Office of the Chief of Staff in coordination with relevant MDAs. The PNB platform is funded by DFID and GoSL, with Coffey International providing technical support to the ACC and GoSL in the implementation of the project.
