05 Feb Mattru Hospital: Report from an African Newspaper

Adapted from an article in the African newspaper Awoko, by Keifa M. Jaward (Feb. 5, 2014)

The United Brethren Church (UBC) Hospital in Mattru Jong is said to be in dire need of qualified and committed medical team that can assist in the provision of better healthcare services in the community.

This and other related problems were discovered by a medical team from Michigan who came to render free surgical services and donate updated surgical equipment and medicines to the hospital.

The United Brethren Church Hospital at Mattru Jong was founded as a dispensary by the missionary Baker Family in the 1950s. It has been a major health center for the community, and has also expanded to establish a nursing school that has, over the years, produced nurses who have been contributing to Sierra Leone’s healthcare delivery.

In an interview with Awoko in Freetown, Dr. Ronald Baker (right) explained that the medical team, which includes a surgeon specialist, family practitioner, anesthetic, nurses and other humanitarians, conducted over 30 operations in a week’s period.

Analyzing the needs of the hospital, Dr. Baker stated that the UBC Hospital can be very efficient if it has two medical doctors and committed nurses that will be handling emergency cases including obstructed labor. The government is fighting to reduce maternal morbidity in the country.

He maintained that the medical needs are overwhelming, as the hospital is challenged with facilities and medical supplies, including basic x-ray machines.

Baker recommended that the hospital should have a good and uninterrupted water supply, maintenance of facilities, supply of up-to-date medical equipment, and drugs. He added that much needd to be done in preventive measures and good road network in the community in general.

Baker commended the contributions of two Sierra Leoneans, Dr. Abu Minnah and Madam Kadiatu Allie, who equally sacrificed their expertise, time and resources, and also encouraged other Sierra Leoneans, especially medical practitioners abroad, to reconsider working back home.

Madam Kadiatu Allie, who provided hospitality for the team, expressed her happiness for assisting the team in that direction. “I would have done even more than that, if I had the opportunity, especially when they were in the country to contribute to the healthcare system.”

03 Feb Canadian Work Team Arrives in Haiti

A work team from Canada arrived in Haiti on Friday, January 31. This is the 12th team the United Brethren of Canada have sent to Haiti since our work there began in 2000.

Around 11:30, they boarded a bus in Port-au-Prince and left for Cayes, where they will be working. About halfway there, the bus broke down. However, another bus eventually came to pick them up, and they arrived in Cayes around 6:30.

Joan Sider, from the UB church in Toronto, is once again leading the trip. Unfortunately, her luggage ended up going in a different direction–to Phoenix. Joan wrote, “I’m at the mercy of the other women, who have generously shared some of the necessities. Since we have about 700 t-shirts, I shouldn’t have a problem with tops. One skirt–I can manage.”

Here are some other places the Canadian teams have served in Haiti in recent years:

• January 2009: at Cité Soleil in the Port-au-Prince area, plus a trip to Les Cayes.
• October 2010: work on the Delmas 33 church in Port-au-Prince.
• October 2011: medical clinics in areas around Port-au-Prince.
• January 2012: Gonaives (building a new church).
• 2013: Limbe.