By; Sulaiman Jalloh
Dr. Jalikatu Mustapha, Deputy Health Minister II, has said that the Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry of Health is set to electrify one thousand six hundred (1600) health facilities across the country.
The deputy minister was giving updates on key achievements in the just-ended 28th annual United Nations climate summit (COP 28) in Dubai where governments across the globe discuss climate change challenges and how to tackle them. According to her, the Ministry of Health was able to secure, on behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone, one hundred million dollars to electrify 1600 health facilities across the country.
She noted that it is still challenging for some communities to access health facilities, while assuring that her ministry is ready to increase the number of health facilities to two thousand by 2025, a move she said would increase access to health care services.
Dr. Jalikatu Mustapha noted that issues of climate change are related to health, noting her ministry wants to build a climate health-resilient system, that is a quality health service delivery regardless of the kind of disaster that occurs in the country.
According to the Minister, solar energy is more reliable, affordable and sustainable and it also reduces air pollution, adding that providing a sustainable water supply is one of the key priorities discussed during COP 28, adding her ministry wants to establish an early emergency response system.
“The emergency response unit will serve as a standby for any unusual occurrences in the country. It is not about how much we talk but it is about service delivery,” she pointed out.
Speaking at the Ministry of Information and Civic Education’s weekly press briefing held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the deputy Health Minister II said that the mudslide in 2017, which caused loss of lives and left many homeless, is due to poor climate change management in the country.
She said flooding is normal in Freetown, but that the exposure to cholera and heat-borne diseases are more serious than flooding, adding that several health challenges are posed by deforestation. She said her ministry is working with partners to improve policies within the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.
Copyright –Published in print in Expo Times Newspaper on Friday, December 22nd, 2023 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
