Dr. Jeredine George, a Specialist Obstetrician Gynaecologist at the national OBGYN hospital, PCMH, commonly referred to as “Cottage,” recently took to social media to share her distressing experience with the ongoing power shortages plaguing the hospital. Her heartfelt account sheds light on the dire consequences these outages have on patient care.

In her social media post, Dr. George began by sharing a photo of herself ready for her on-call duty with the caption, “ar ready for the on call tiday: bring it on!” However, what she wasn’t prepared for was the extensive power outage that lasted from 9:15 pm one night until 8 am the next day.

The impact of these outages on patient care is staggering. Nurses and doctors were forced to examine patients using only their phone torches. Patients in need of oxygen were left without it, including unborn babies in distress inside their mothers’ wombs. Tragically, a baby was lost due to distress before delivery, a situation where oxygen to the mother could have potentially made a difference.

She emphasized, “nurses and doctors are examining patients with phone torches, patients who require oxygen did not get it, babies who needed oxygen whilst in their mothers’ wombs did not get it and as a result we lost a baby immediately after surgery because it was in distress before delivery and some oxygen to the mother would have helped it.”

Dr. George clarified that the solar power system installed in the hospital compound could only last for a maximum of 5 hours at full capacity, which operated until 9:15 pm. The hospital’s generator, meanwhile, could only power the operating theatre.

Nurses went above and beyond, admitting, caring for, and administering medications to patients in the dark, relying on phone torches or those of patient’s relatives when lucky.

“This is not an attack on anyone or anything in particular,” Dr. George emphasized. “This is a desperate cry for help from a clinician who experiences on a daily basis what the average Sierra Leonean pregnant woman is facing due to a failing system.”

The situation is exacerbated by the fact that patients who come to the hospital expecting free healthcare often find themselves having to purchase essential items for their survival. Dr. George and her team sometimes dip into their own salaries to buy these items for patients, driven by the inability to watch patients die due to lack of affordability.

One particularly painful observation was that the children’s hospital in the same compound had a generator that provided power throughout the night, while the “Cottage” hospital remained in darkness.

In her plea for help, Dr. George called on those passionate about maternal health to assist in getting the urgent help needed. She stressed that action is needed beyond just awareness or acknowledgment by authorities, as they may be limited in their capacity to help.

“We need help at PCMH,” she declared. “Not on paper, but physically so that patients can benefit from it.”

The issues at PCMH are numerous, and while Dr. George has raised concerns with various individuals in the past, this is the first time she’s taken her plea to such a public platform. She hopes that this increased visibility will finally bring about the change that’s so desperately needed.

Despite the challenging night, Dr. George expressed gratitude to all the staff who worked tirelessly during the night of Monday, April 22nd, 2024. She called them heroes and prayed for blessings upon their work.