The First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio has urged nurses and midwives to be professionals in their field of work.
She made this statement at the West African Postgraduate College of Nursing and Midwifery – Sierra Leone Chapter’s Annual General Meeting and Scientific Session on the 14th October 2022 at the Kenema City Hall in Kenema, eastern Sierra Leone.
She expressed pleasure in associating with people and causes that promote women’s empowerment in line with the agenda of President Julius Maada Bio.
The country, she said, is currently burdened with one of the highest maternal and child mortality rates and relatively low life expectancy coupled by the challenges posed by Covid 19 and the effects of climate change.
Nurses, she said, constitute up to 70 percent of the workforce in the country, adding that this workforce needs to be involved in the decision making cadre and process to effectively shape community health and enhance quality service.
“Health issues or challenges would not be addressed without recognising the importance of nurses,” she said, while expressing elation that the college is on record to have produced quality nursing fellows including herself, with extraordinary outcomes.
Mrs. Bio underscored that health is a fundamental human rights while appreciating the new direction government for prioritising human capital development.
She urged the administration of the college to continue to do more in promoting excellent nursing education and enhance standards of practice within the nursing community and contributing towards the improvement of health care within the sub-region.
Dr. Fatima Bio said the government has over the last four years invested in nursing by providing nursing training and job opportunities for citizens in the nursing field.
She informed that the government has recruited at least 4,000 pin-coded Nurses.
She outlined successes made so far by the Office of the First Lady in line with the agenda of the President which include the construction of an ultra-modern 500 bed hospital complex, a center of excellence, a nursing school and administrative building among other medical facilities. The Nursing School and first One Hundred Bed Pediatric Ward have been completed, while work is well advanced on the other facilities.
Strategic Communications Division
Office of The First Lady.
info@officeofthefirstlady.gov.sl