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In what he described as a massive encroachment of the Land at the National Rehab. Centre at Murray Town, the Deputy Minister of Health 1, Dr. Charles Senessie has expressed fears that Sierra Leone could lose a $24 million dollar project for the construction of what he described as modern prosthetics centre on the state.
Senessie and other senior official at the Ministry of Heath were addressing journalists at a press conference in Freetown where they demanded that encroachers at the rehab center vacate the place to make way for the construction of a prosthetics centre.
The minister said they don’t want to miss out on the project which is funded by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), of which equipment for construction of the centre is already on the high seas.
He went on to explain how the project will also provide training of Sierra Leonean medical professionals, and pleaded to encroachers to vacate the property.
In his statement also at the press conference, the Senior Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of health, Andrew 1. Sorie said the centre gives hope to Sierra Leoneans amputees, with limited capacity.
Sorie said they are working to improve the lives of amputees as they embark on getting the new facility started.
He claimed that community people, businesses and others have encroached on the land at the existing smaller rehab centre, and urged them vacate the place, insisting they should show empathy for people who have lost their limbs.
The Project Officer. Dr. Ishmael Kebbre during his presentation noted that the new centre will provide services like physiotherapy and orthotics, among others.
Kebbie however stated that the vicinity of the present rehab centre has been massively encroached upon, recalling that in 2023 the MIT signed an MOU with the Ministry of Health in bid to provide prosthetic services in Sierra Leone. He went to recall that MIT had previously provided equipment and prosthetic training to Sierra Leonean medical personnel.
He said they have asked MIT to help them with infrastructure, emphasising their ambition is to remove amputees begging in the streets and provide them with a conducive environment.
Kebbie explained how they had earlier engaged stakeholders from different sectors and the community people at Murray Town during which the encroachers assured them that they would vacate the encroached area.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Mustapha Kabba said they have secured funds for the project, but that it will not be actualized if the facility is not vacated for the construction of a modern facility. Kabba described the project as a big technology coming to the country, adding they want to provide services for people that have lost their limbs.
