By Sahr Ibrahim Komba
Koidu Government Hospital is grappling with an overwhelming increase in patient numbers, struggling to accommodate the growing demand for medical care. Over the past few years, the hospital has become a key medical center not only for people across Sierra Leone but also for patients from neighboring countries. However, the hospital’s limited bed capacity has made it difficult to admit all those in need of treatment.
In an interview, Joseph T. Kamara, the Secretary of Koidu Government Hospital, explained that the hospital has been facing a significant influx of patients in recent years. He attributed this to the hospital’s reputation for offering affordable and quality healthcare. Joseph Kamara highlighted the partnership between Koidu Government Hospital, Partners in Health, and the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which work together to provide accessible medical services. He added that the hospital charges minimal fees for consultations and lab tests, with patients not having to pay for discharge. Emergency services, maternity care, and Caesarean sections are provided free of charge, and the hospital also provides free pampers for patients in need.
Joseph further revealed that the hospital’s Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) department offers free services, something that is often rare for people living with NCDs, which are expensive to treat. He also mentioned that the hospital provides psychosocial support for patients living with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, especially those in the isolation center.
The hospital’s services attract patients from neighboring countries such as Guinea, Liberia, Mali, and Senegal, seeking treatment for NCDs and other medical conditions. Kamara emphasized that the hospital, which was constructed in 1961 to serve a small local population, is now overwhelmed by the large number of patients it is expected to serve.
Ibrahim Sangba, a local resident, shared his personal experience with Koidu Government Hospital. He described how his father was discharged despite not being fit to go home. “My father later died at home a day after he was discharged,” Sangba said. “He died because he wasn’t properly treated.” Ibrahim explained that patients are sometimes sent home prematurely due to the lack of available beds, whether they are ready to be discharged or not. This lack of beds is causing many patients to miss out on the necessary treatment.
He also highlighted the urgent need to expand the hospital’s physiotherapy department, as the current 224-bed capacity is not sufficient to handle the growing demand. While some doctors and nurses are professional and attentive, he pointed out that others fail to give proper attention to critical cases, sometimes choosing to watch social media videos instead of focusing on patients.
The hospital also faces a significant number of patients from neighboring countries like Guinea, Senegal, Mali, Liberia, and Gambia, which further strains the limited resources. Ibrahim Sangba is calling on the Sierra Leonean government to urgently address the hospital’s capacity issues by providing more beds to save more lives.
