He informed his audience that one of the five trucks is for the Kono Government Hospital and the remaining four for the District Health Management Team (DHMT) for onward distribution to the Peripheral Health Units (PHUs) in the district.
The Resident Minister recalled a recent incident where a consignment of free health care drugs was arrested and the case currently being investigated, and called on the people of Kono to embrace the free health care drugs, ensured they are well monitored and devoid of party affiliation as the drugs are for all and sundry.
The Chairman Council of Paramount Chiefs, Kono district, Paramount Chief Tamba Emmanuel Torche Foyoh IV said they as Paramount Chiefs are the prime beneficiaries of the free health care drugs because the beneficiaries of these drugs are in their chiefdoms.
He said as Paramount Chiefs they are calling on the Ministry of Health to replicate the same transparent drugs distribution initiative to the chiefdom level for them to monitor and ensure that the drugs are properly used.
Chairman Kono District Council, Solomon Sahr Gbondo thanked the President, Brig. Rtd. Julius Maada Bio, the government and Health Ministry for the transparent and accountability of the free health care drugs distribution.
He assured all that the council will ensure that the drugs are well secured so that it will not be misused as in the past.
Mayor Koidu City, Komba Sam maintained that the council is very much determined to ensure that the free health care drugs are monitored to an extent that the drugs reached the deserving people not only in the district but the chiefdoms and at village level.
He said he has made several unannounced visits to the hospital at night and noticed that the health personnel are punctual at work, and interacts with patients about their relationship with the nurses, and commended the health staff for a job well done.
UNICEF Health Coordinator, Makeni, Diana Koroma disclosed that UNICEF has been part and parcels of the free health care drugs distribution exercise with the Ministry of Health since the start of the free health care initiative in 2010.
She informed all that UNICEF has been working with the Ministry and other partners to move the initiative to ensure that not only on procurement but support monitoring and feedback from the national to the districts and assured of UNICEF’s support at all time.
Deputizing the Chief Medical Officer, the Director of Reproductive and Child Health, Dr. Sartie Kenneh described drugs distribution as the most essential aspect in the health care delivery system in the country.
He said for the past years the Ministry has been receiving blames that people were not benefitting from the drugs, adding that this time round the New Direction will ensure that it will be a thing of the past.
The official handing over of the free health care commodities by the Resident Minister East, Andrew Ansu Fatorma climaxed the ceremony.
