events

Princess Christian Maternity Hospital
Formerly a “cottage” hospital built and staffed by the then Christian Missionary Society of the U.K. to provide maternity services to local families.

A three story building was added by the local government in the 1960s. Recently renovated and refurbished it is the main referral and teaching OB-GYN hospital in the western region of Sierra Leone; offering maternal and neonatal care.
The National School of Midwifery is temporarily housed in this complex.

Connaught Hospital
The first colonial hospital in Freetown built by the British and opened by the then Duke of Connaught in 1912.
It is now the main teaching hospital recently renovated and refurbished and reopened in April 2006. It is the main clinical teaching unit for nurses and medical students. The National School of Nursing, now Faculty of Nursing is annexed to this unit.

Health : Rehabilitation of the Water Supply at the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital

Sierra Leone has one of the lowest life expectancy rates of any country in the world, the highest infant mortality rate, and is the least developed country in the world according to United Nations indicators. Malaria, tuberculosis, intestinal diseases, malnutrition and vaccine preventable diseases such as measles are rampant, underlining the urgent need for basic health facilities and services.

The Sierra Leone Red Cross is working with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Federation) to provide a variety of health services under the umbrella of the community-based health programs. This includes HIV/AIDS prevention, first aid training, mobile clinics, water and sanitation programs, immunization programs, blood donor recruitment and health education.

In a country where the maternal mortality rate is among the highest in the world at 1,800 per 1,000,000 live births, there is also a pressing need for improved maternal health care.

The Canadian Red Cross (CRC) is supporting two health care projects: the Traditional Birth Attendant Program (TBAP) and a program at the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital. These programs are designed to promote pre and post natal care for Sierra Leone women, most of whom give birth at home in unsanitary conditions.

The TBAP provides midwife training for women who traditionally assist other women in their communities who are giving birth at home. These women rarely have any formal training and most often lack access to the most basic equipment. The TBAP provides these women with basic training and a small kit of essential items to maintain minimum sanitary conditions.

The CRC also provides support to a maternity ward in the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in the capital of Freetown. The hospital gives free access to emergency health care to the most vulnerable women, including the destitute and those who have been displaced by conflict.

The CRC also aids the community-based health program in other ways. In 2001, a health delegate funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), spent six months in Sierra Leone working on a variety of tasks with the local Red Cross. These activities included assisting in the polio eradication campaign, managing the drug supply for the health clinics, and a variety of administrative tasks.