Issa Bangura, AYV News, September 3, 2024
Solar power plant project funded by John Hopkins University was commissioned with key partners including the Society of Critical Care Medicine Institute of Global Pediatric Care.
The panels are expected to generate 307.2 KW of power with 24.4 KW for the operating theater to ensure 24 hours of electricity power. For critical healing in labor, outpatient, emergency, surgical, and pediatric wards.
Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Jalikatu Mustapha called the installation a monumental step in ending chronic power issues and bringing new life to the healthcare system as she says this project has covered seventy percent of the needs of the hospital.
Dr. Mustapha said: “With this Power Plant, we will not receive any complaint from patients that they came to the hospital and did not receive any quality care because of electricity, more especially the critical areas like the Maternity, premature area including all the operating theater in the hospital”.
Deputy Minister further stated that in the area of sustainability of the Solar Panel, their sponsors have trained some local people who will be in charge of maintaining and maintaining these Solar. She reaffirmed that as part of the agreement in the work plan for the next five whatever damage occurs with these solar will be handled by the contractors.
Dr. John Sampson a representative of IGPC emphasizes their commitment to supporting the health sector in Sierra Leone. Dr. John said in 2010 they brought the Anastasia project to Connaught Hospital and other hospitals in the country, and in 2015 they trained staff during the Ebola and Corona outbreaks in Sierra Leone.
Maurice Ferenkeh Koroma special adviser to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation on Program Quality emphasised the impact of this project on the ministry saying that this will boost the electricity constraint in the Bo government hospital.
Koroma further stated that they aimed to change the health trajectory as they are about to power every government hospital with sustainable electricity. He says with their partners they’ve already done that in six government hospitals, PCMH, Holadory, Masanga, Kambia, and Kabala.