Bai Bureh Memorial Community Hospital – Mahera/Lungi, and Evans Medical Centre – Lungi

After talking with many people about where to seek quality healthcare in the local community, we visited the Bai Bureh Memorial Community Hospital in Mahera/Lungi. The hospital is about three miles from our family home and about eight miles from our vacant lot. We met a busy reception area and a hospital compound with multiple buildings. We were led to the office of Dr. Hassan Sesay, who has served at the private hospital at Mahera for just over 20 years.

The hospital was built by Dr. Kamara. Dr. Kamara's wife was French, and they raised funds in France to build the hospital. Although it is a private hospital, it is run and supported at the community level. Dr. Kamara passed away almost 20 years ago, and Dr. Sesay has been the main medical doctor running the hospital these past 20 years. He has been successful in applying for grants for construction projects and voucher programs for pregnant women so that they are treated free of charge. During the Ebola outbreak in 2014, many of the hospitals closed, except those treating Ebola patients. After surveying the Mahera hospital, the World Health Organization urged that the hospital remain open due to the number of pregnant women being seen, approximately 70 women per day during the height of the Ebola outbreak. If not for the health services provided by this hospital, the maternal mortality rate in the area would have significantly increased during this time when many healthcare services were curtailed due to the threat of spreading the deadly Ebola virus.

A recent addition to the hospital was made possible by a grant from the West Africa Health Organization through the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. The new wing includes: a blood bank; chemistry, hematology, and microbiology labs; phlebotomy room; x-ray room; and, a tuberculosis isolation and examination room. Some of these rooms are not yet fully functioning due to the inconsistent electricity for the hospital. The hospital receives electricity from the local city electrical grid; however, service is not consistently available. The hospital has a large 80 KVA generator that can power the hospital complex; however, it is expensive to operate, utilizing about seven liters of diesel per hour, and is only utilized on an as-needed basis. When we walked through the annex, lights were on due to the need to use x-ray equipment for a patient that had arrived with a possible fracture. Other recent additions from the West African Health Organization included a laundry building and an ambulance.

The main structure of the hospital includes exam rooms, surgery rooms, and in-patient wards/rooms that can house up to 50 patients. Dr. Sesay is known in the area for providing surgeries, such as C-sections, hernia repairs, hysterectomies, and appendectomies. Dr. Sesay noted that he cannot provide orthopedic surgeries, and patients must travel to a hospital near Freetown if this type of surgery is needed.

In listening to the history of the hospital as explained by Dr. Sesay, we learned the owners were the children of the late Dr. Kamara. The children are in France, and Dr. Sesay speaks frequently with one of the sons, providing updates regarding the hospital.

Dr. Sesay has also started a clinic in Lungi, which is located just one mile from our family land. Later the same day, we visited the clinic and received a tour. The Lungi Sierra Leone Charity group contributed to the construction of the initial structure for the complex. This charity group established by the Evans family has been instrumental in several projects throughout the Lungi area. Dr. Sesay has plans for the complex that include a surgery center, in-patient wards, and staff quarters. Currently the clinic is run by government healthcare workers during the week, and Dr. Sesay has clinics for pregnant women where he performs ultrasounds for about $2 per exam on Sundays to identify any high-risk issues.

We visited the clinic again on Sunday, December 18, 2022 about 11:30 a.m. We saw a long line of pregnant women waiting to be seen. Dr. Sesay stepped out to talk with us briefly and indicated he’d already seen about 30 women before we arrived. About 20 more were waiting, seated in a long row along the main hallway of the building. We invited Dr. Sesay to meet us at our home this week to further discuss needs and ways we may be able to partner with him.