By Emma Black
In the early hours of Friday, April 11, 2025, gutting vital equipment and rattling a lifeline for the region’s most fragile newborns, emergency crews rushed to douse the flames, and as of now, no deaths or injuries have been reported but the toll on this critical neonatal hub is still unfolding.
Dr. Joseph Kamanda Sesay, the hospital’s Medical Superintendent, confirmed that all 16 infants in the unit at the time were swiftly evacuated to the nearby Holy Spirit Hospital, a catholic-run facility, we moved fast to keep them safe, Sesay said, his voice steady but strained. The SCBU, a beacon for premature and critically ill babies, relies on oxygen machines and incubators, many now likely reduced to ash.
The fire’s cause remains under police investigation, with officials combing through the charred remains to pinpoint what sparked it, early reports suggest extensive damage to medical gear, including parts of the oxygen plant installed in 2021 to bolster care for infants struggling to breathe, the unit, serving a district of over 428,000, is a referral point for dozens of rural health
This is a gut punch, said Nurse Isatu Kamara, who’s tended babies at the SCBU for years, these machines aren’t just tools they’re what keep our tiniest fighters alive, Makeni’s hospital has faced hurdles before crowded wards, scarce drugs, power woes but its SCBU stood as a point of pride, saving countless preemies with support from UNICEF and partners. Now, staff face a scramble to restore care while leaning on Holy Spirit Hospital’s limited beds. Community leaders are already rallying, with Mayor Abubakarr Kamara vowing aid. We’ll rebuild stronger,
The fire stings doubly hard in a nation where neonatal deaths 31 per 1,000 births rank among the world’s worst. For mothers like Aminata Bangura, whose son survived the SCBU last year, the news hit like a personal blow. That unit gave my boy a chance, she said, clutching her toddler.
As investigators dig for answers, questions loom about safety gaps. Was it faulty wiring overloaded circuits Sierra Leone’s hospitals, battered by war and Ebola, often run on patchwork fixes. The government’s health ministry promised a swift probe, with Health Minister Dr. Austin Demby expected to weigh in soon for now, Makeni holds its breath. The SCBU’s babies are safe, but their havens in ruins. Rebuilding won’t just take cash it’ll take grit to ensure no infant pays the price of this blaze.