In an exclusive interview with the Minister of Information and Communications, Mohamed Bangura stated that in the previous 24 months his government has strived to reinstate the country’s developmental and essential delivery status, a system that was stifled by the Ebola pandemic.
Mohamed Bangura mentioned that the paramount objective of the government is to improve the lives of millions of ordinary Sierra Leoneans and revert to the implementation of the agenda for prosperity, adding that they had prioritized improvements in the country’s public services such as health and education among others.
He said the task of the President’s Delivery Team was to develop and trial the rigorous tools and processes that could improve the delivery of public services in Sierra Leone. For the development of any nation, education must be prioritized, as a result of this the minister uttered that his government had placed education into high esteemed and he pointed out the decentralization of quality education and proliferation of the government grant in aid to support needy university across the country, as typical examples.
Mohamed Bangura further explained that in the area of improve learning systems, his government has considerably reduced overcrowding in schools by constructing 225 spacious classrooms-educational facilities across the country, as he stated that there are 215 classrooms currently on construction. He stressed that that the introduction of schools feeding project was geared towards improving better nourishment and the health status of 1.2 million primary school children nationwide, a situation that boost primary schools attendance records.
He reiterated that teaching standards have been raised and maintained throughout the country’s government schools. He established that his government had introduced essential training systems for teachers and develops contemporary teaching strategies.
Mohamed Bangura highlighted that the Ministry of Water Resources has worked with the ministries of Health and Education to construct and rehabilitate 125 boreholes and 149 water wells in schools, health centers, villages and other communities around the country, adding that there are more than 200 wells and other sources of pure water currently under construction.
He pointed out that through the renewable Rural Electrification project, 50 community health centers around the country would have solar electricity supply before the end of July 2017.
He mentioned that the reduction of mother and child mortality rates has been a priority for every Sierra Leonean, and with over 40% of maternal deaths directly related to teenage pregnancy, that they have invested in adolescent friendly health centers nationwide as a way of providing young people with advice and the protection of safe environment. He added that the government has achieved 76% of their target and it remains 14% that will soon be completed.
Bangura said they have embarked on the distribution of 4.3 million treated mosquito bed nets to help address the malaria challenge and to improve the health challenge, and to improve the health of pregnant women and children, he furthered that community health workers have also been trained to provide better care and advisory services to them.
As the popularly adage depicted ‘Health is Wealth’, Minister Bangura ascertained that his government is currently constructing standard hospitals across the nation, including Waterloo and King Harman Road Hospitals. He said that the hospitals would be equipped with at least 100-beds, trauma centers, pediatrics, obstetrics and minor surgeries facilities are going to be packaged in the forthcoming hospitals across the country.
He concluded by establishing that the reduction of malaria, typhoid, diarrhoea and other illnesses that is caused by the indiscriminate dumping of waste is also impetus behind operation clean Freetown under which the city would intensively being clean ward by ward, and the introduction of the door to door household waste collection and stepping- up enforcement of bye-laws to prevent littering and other anti-social behavior, will definitely make Sierra Leone a place fit for all.
