{"id":2203,"date":"2020-02-15T14:28:32","date_gmt":"2020-02-15T14:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nmsa.gov.sl\/?p=2203"},"modified":"2021-04-20T14:25:52","modified_gmt":"2021-04-20T14:25:52","slug":"government-of-sierra-leone-intensifies-free-health-care-medicines-distribution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmsa.gov.sl\/index.php\/2020\/02\/15\/government-of-sierra-leone-intensifies-free-health-care-medicines-distribution\/","title":{"rendered":"National Medical Supplies Agency free health care medicines distribution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sierra Leone\u2019s National Medical Supplies Agency (NMSA) in \ncollaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS), has \nofficially set in motion the distribution of free health care medicines \nacross Sierra Leone to support President Bio\u2019s free health care \ninitiative for needy Sierra Leoneans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the recently established NMSA, which is charged by law to procure, store and distribute drugs for the West African country, had started distributing drugs in various parts of the country, the official distribution commenced last Thursday at the DHMT (Western Urban) in Clinetown, Freetown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

stakeholders and government officials, including the Minister of Health and Sanitation \u2013 Professor Alpha Tejan Wurie (Photo)<\/strong><\/em>,\n accompanied by senior staff of the ministry; Managing Director and \nDeputy of NMSA, District Medical Officer (DMO), DHMT Staff, Chairman of \nParliamentary Oversight Committee on Health, Councillors and Civil \nSociety Organisations from across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A total of six trucks loaded with free health care medicines and \nother medical supplies were handed over to the DHMT in Clinetown, \nfollowing a brief formal ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Managing Director of NMSA \u2013 Dr. Lawrence Sandy, confirms that the\n variety of drugs being distributed include treatment and preventive \ndrugs for HIV, Tuberculosis, Malaria, Bed nets for Malaria and Plumpy \nNuts for Nutrition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distribution continues in the western area while the team is scheduled to head to the provinces starting November 4 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the event, Dr. Sandy disclosed that the first phase of \nthe distribution will take them across all sixteen districts in the \ncountry. \u201cBeyond the districts, we will target the over one thousand \nPrimary Health Units (PHUs) in the chiefdoms,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distribution, he said, is not only limited to free healthcare \ndrugs but all other essential drugs and medical supplies available in \nthe country for distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

NMSA, he said, is committed to ensure that such nationwide distribution exercise continues on a quarterly basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He assured the audience that NMSA will continue to procure, store \nsafely and distribute accordingly as and when the resources are readily \navailable, and called on the beneficiaries including staff to use the \nproducts judiciously to ensure sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Minister of Health and Sanitation, Alpha Tejan Wurie expressed \nelation that the government is fulfilling its promise and owning up to \nits responsibilities. He hastened to clarify that the President\u2019s free \nhealthcare initiative of 2018\/19 is different from the 2010 initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe new initiative has attracted a lot of positive changes, \nincluding government\u2019s financial contribution for the drugs and sets of \nbeneficiaries,\u201d he pointed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He announced that the Government of Sierra Leone only started \ncontributing to the payment of free healthcare drugs in 2018 under the \nleadership of President Bio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c10% of the free healthcare drugs cost was paid for by the government\n in 2018; 1.5 million dollars, which is an equivalent of 30% of the cost\n was paid for in 2019; and a total of 2.5 million dollars, amounting to \n50% of the cost would be paid next year,\u201d the minister disclosed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further announced that the Government of Sierra Leone will start \nprocuring cost recovery drugs for its citizens in 2020 to cater for the \ncategories of citizens not benefiting from the free healthcare package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

According\n to the minister, the new direction government has introduced three \ndifferent allowances for the health sector workforce to enhance their \nwelfare and productivity. These allowances include bio-hazard, location \nand on-call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new direction government, he said, has returned respectability to\n the health sector, while calling on the workers to continue to offer \nthe required quality services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He disclosed that the government values transparent governance, thus \nthe decision to include the civil society to help monitor the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s high time the citizens accepted that the needed change can only\n be achieved by our joint efforts,\u201d he noted, while calling on all to \nforget the politics and focus on national development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He expressed appreciation to the councillors, including those from \nthe opposition, who have been supporting the process, and assured that \nthe government will continue to provide the required necessities for its\n people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sierra Leone\u2019s National Medical Supplies Agency (NMSA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS), has officially set in motion the distribution of free health care medicines across Sierra Leone to support President Bio\u2019s free health care initiative for needy Sierra Leoneans. While the recently established NMSA, which is charged by law to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmsa.gov.sl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmsa.gov.sl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmsa.gov.sl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmsa.gov.sl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmsa.gov.sl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2203"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/nmsa.gov.sl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2605,"href":"https:\/\/nmsa.gov.sl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2203\/revisions\/2605"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmsa.gov.sl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmsa.gov.sl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmsa.gov.sl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmsa.gov.sl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}