Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. As both a concerned citizen and a global health professional, I feel compelled to raise awareness about the troubling reports of patients losing their lives under circumstances that point to serious gaps in medical practice and oversight in Sierra Leone.
These incidents, though painful to recount, highlight the urgent need for stronger safeguards to protect the lives of our people.
In recent weeks, I have witnessed heartbreaking stories. A friend’s wife died shortly after intravenous fluids were administered at home by someone posing as a nurse, an unsafe practice that should never occur outside a sterile clinical environment. My own cousin passed away in a hospital in Freetown after a central line was inserted in his neck, despite seeking care only for difficulty urinating. His sudden death raises questions that demand careful investigation.
In another case, a friend’s wife was misdiagnosed with appendicitis. Faced with prohibitively high surgical fees, he sought a second opinion only to discover it was a stomach infection. Thankfully, she is now recovering at home. Sadly, not all outcomes end in relief. Just as I was drafting this piece, a colleague informed me of his 30-year-old niece-in law’s death less than 12 hours after undergoing surgery to remove fibroids.
These are not isolated stories. They point to larger, systemic challenges in our healthcare system. Additionally, patients are often asked to pay exorbitant consultation fees, sometimes more than once, including simply for the interpretation of test results. Reports of unnecessary prescriptions are common, raising concerns that financial motives may sometimes outweigh patient welfare. Meanwhile, widely differing laboratory results from one facility to another underscore the absence of accreditation systems that guarantee quality and accuracy in diagnostics.
To strengthen public confidence, ensure patient safety, and support our dedicated health professionals, I respectfully call on the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, working with professional councils and partners, to consider the following actions:
1. Mandatory Licensing and Regular Audits – All healthcare providers, including those offering home services, must hold valid licenses, with credentials verified regularly. Unlicensed practice should face strict penalties.
2. Independent Investigation Unit – Establish a dedicated unit to review unexplained deaths occurring within 24 hours of hospital visits or medical procedures, ensuring transparency and public reporting of findings.
3. Standardized Fee Structure – Introduce transparent, standardized medical fee structure to prevent multiple charges for the same consultation or service.
4. Prescription Oversight – Monitor prescription patterns to identify and review cases of suspected over-prescription.
5. Hospital Hygiene and Safety Standards – Enforce strict compliance through regular inspections, with meaningful penalties for noncompliance.
6. Laboratory Accreditation – Develop a national accreditation system with routine quality control and proficiency testing, ensuring labs meet reliable standards.
7. Patient Rights and Complaint Mechanisms – Establish clear patient rights and accessible mechanisms for families to report suspected malpractice.
These measures are well within our reach. They are practical, achievable, and consistent with our national vision for quality health care. Most importantly, they place patients, the very heart of our health system at the center of reform.
Sierra Leone has made commendable progress in rebuilding its health system over the years. By taking bold and practical steps now, we can restore public confidence, ensure patient safety, and support our healthcare professionals with the systems they need to deliver quality care.
Every Sierra Leonean deserves to enter a hospital with trust, not fear. By strengthening regulation, fostering accountability, and protecting patient rights, we can prevent avoidable tragedies and safeguard the most precious resource we have—human life.
“Stronger oversight can save lives. With the right safeguards, every Sierra Leonean can seek care with trust, not fear.”
Patrick Lukulay, Ph.D.
Dr. Lukulay is a global heath executive and a pharmaceutical scientist. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Regulatory Officer at BioUsawa Biotechnology Inc. in San Francisco, CA & Rwanda
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