FATIMA BIO’S MASSIVE SUPPORT TO THE HEALTH SECTOR, INCLUDING THE CONSTRUCTION OF A 600-BED ULTRAMODERN HOSPITAL IN FREETOWN

FATIMA BIO'S MASSIVE SUPPORT TO THE HEALTH SECTOR, INCLUDING THE CONSTRUCTION OF A 600-BED ULTRAMODERN HOSPITAL IN FREETOWN

By Abubakarr Bah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In volume one of the “Goodies of the Bio Presidency”, I wrote extensively on the outstanding achievements of Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Dr. Fatima Jabbie Maada Bio towards the developmental drive of Sierra Leone, especially towards the health and wellbeing of school going girls across the country.

Let me be clear here that in this edition, and like I always do, I am not marketing Dr. Fatima Bio as she has already made a name for herself as a gem and a beacon of hope for Sierra Leone. Neither am I doing a P.R stunt or propaganda for Dr. Fatima Bio, but I am presenting a true narrative of the achievements of a woman who has done so much for the wellbeing of Sierra Leoneans like a mother would do for her biological children.

I will also give a descriptive analysis of one of the greatest accomplishments of Sierra Leone’s best First Lady towards complementing the efforts of His Excellency’s vision of addressing the challenges in our country’s health sector, particularly her construction of a 600-bed state-of-the-art hospital at the 34 Military Hospital at Wilberforce Barracks in Freetown; a project that has been described as a first-of-its-kind.

Many citizens hold the view that one of the greatest assets of His Excellency Brigadier (Rtd.) Maada Bio’s since 2018 to present lies in the lucky charms of this beautiful gem, Fatima Jabbie Bio. There is a generally held belief that “when good men and women work together side-by-side, they form more powerful teams, and attain powerful results” which no tsunami will conquer. This is so true of the First Couple.

The brilliant vision of His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio to give the Office of the First Lady a facelift since he assumed power in April 2018 has yielded monumental achievements for the Government and people of Sierra Leone in the areas of education, gender empowerment and the health sector.

Dr. Fatima Maada Bio’s unwavering support to His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio’s vision and commitment to improving healthcare services in the country has been unprecedented more than any other first lady in the history of our nation.

As a caring and compassionate Mother of the Nation, Dr. Fatima Bio, through the Fatima and Maada Bio Foundation, spearheaded the transformation of the 34 Military Hospital in Freetown which was originally a 13-bed facility constructed by the United Nations as a specilised COVID-19 treatment centre in 2020. The expansion of the facility from a 13-bed medical center to a 600-bed multipurpose hospital complex, which commenced on the 18th December, 2020, is almost 90% complete and the facility is expected to be fully completed by December this year.

According to the Office of the First Lady, the 10 million US dollars ultra-modern 600-bed hospital project comprises a pediatric or children’s ward, male and female wards and a centre of excellence for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence named the ‘Hands Off Our Girls Foundation’.

Quite apart from that, the facility also has a nursing school, which will provide essential training for future healthcare professionals. Each area underscored the hospital’s commitment to delivering specialised care and services to meet the diverse healthcare needs of the public.

When fully completed, the ultramodern hospital is said to be the largest in the country, equipped with the latest medical technology and state-of-the-art facilities, including a diagnostic center (which will put an end to overseas medical referral), promising top-quality healthcare for the people of Sierra Leone irrespective of region or political affiliation.

By January 2025, the 600-bed hospital would have been operational or opened to the public and would be of significant additional value to the country’s healthcare infrastructure to boost access to quality medical care and to help achieve the structural goals of the country’s only military hospital.

The hospital was solely funded by the Fatima and Maada Bio Foundation, and its primary goal, according to the Office of the First Lady “is for Sierra Leoneans to have access to quality healthcare, as well as inspire corporate organisations and individuals both home and abroad to take responsibility and be directly involved in the development of Sierra Leone.”

During the turning of the sod ceremony for the construction of the hospital on 18th December, 2020, the former Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation Dr. Amara Jambai, said the strides the First Lady was making in the health sector were unprecedented. Mr. Jambai described Dr. Fatima Bio as an exemplary figure who was providing solid support to the Government’s healthcare ambitions, noting that Sierra Leone would forever remember her developmental strides.

The 600-bed ultramodern hospital is not the only healthcare project Sierra Leoneans are benefiting from the First Lady. In May this year, the First Lady, Dr. Fatima Bio presented hospital equipment to Panguma Government Hospital in Lower Bambara Chiefdom as support in enhancing healthcare services for the local community and its surrounding villages, bringing hope and excitement to the residents.

Moreover, Dr. Fatima Bio has also constructed a 15-bed pediatric hospital at the Koidu Government Municipal Hospital in Koidu City, after the facility was comprehensively engulfed by fire. During the official opening of the facility on the 11th October 2020, the District Medical Officer, Dr Eugene expressed unreserved appreciation to the First Lady, for making history in Kono by fulfilling her promise of the construction of a 15-bedroom facility for children in Koidu. The hospital was well furnished with air-conditions, wheel chairs and other medical supplies.

Besides the aforementioned, Her Excellency, the First Lady Dr. Fatima Maada Bio is an accomplished campaigner that has been advocating for women, girls, and gender equality issues from the grassroots level right to the United Nations. Her flagship campaign ‘Hands Off Our Girls’ has reduced sexual and gender-based violence (SGVB), early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and child trafficking, increased awareness of HIV/AIDS and cancer, improved access to justice, and provided free sanitary pads for school children.

The First Lady also championed the adoption of the World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence. In 2023, UNAIDS appointed Madam Bio as Champion for Adolescent Girls and Young Women. As a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board of Eminent Persons on Zero Waste, the UN-Habitat; a focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system describes Dr. Fatima Bio as personality who has “set herself the goal of advancing the campaign by engaging state and non-state actors to develop a roadmap for Sierra Leone’s zero waste journey.

Against this background, every Sierra Leonean irrespective of political affiliation should feel blessed and proud to have a gem like Dr. Fatima Jabbie Maada Bio as the country’s First Lady and mother of our nation. It is crystal clear and safe to say that one of the best decisions Brigadier (RTD) Julius Maada Bio did before winning the Presidency was to choose Madam Fatima Jabbie as his spouse and life partner.

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