NEWS Sierra Leone Government Blocks Delivery of Fullah Progressive Union’s Medical Shipment to Bo and Koidu Government Hospitals Posted by Alphajoh Cham, Financial Secretary,FPU Georgia on Jul 16, 2008, 14:05

Members of Fullah Progressive Union Georgia....pose with some staff members of Medshare International

As has already been widely reported, the Fullah Progressive Union–Georgia, in collaboration with MedShare International, the Conflict-Free Diamond Council and Brilliant Earth shipped two 40-foot containers of medical supplies and biomedical equipment to Freetown in December 2007.  Their estimated market value is in excess of $500,000. The donated containers were consigned directly to Bo Government Hospital and Koidu Government Hospital. These much needed medical relief supplies were intended to alleviate the deplorable healthcare delivery system in these hospitals, and hopefully serve as a pilot project for other government hospitals in the country.

Unfortunately, these containers are still left to waste at the Freetown port since arrival in January 2008; about seven months now. All the documents including the Certificate of Donation and the Bill of Lading were tendered to Ministry of Health to ensure the smooth clearance of the containers. The submitted application for Duty Free Concession by FPU-GA to the NRA/Ministry of Finance was rejected with no substantive reason. According to the Ministry of Health, the NRA/Ministry of Finance also rejected twice their request/application for duty-free concession for the two containers. Every effort within our sphere of influence, through our Project Coordinator in Freetown, Mr. Tayyib I. Bah, has been made to bring the issue to the attention of the Government authorities including the Offices of the President, Vice President, Minister of Health, Minister of Finance, Minister of Mines and the Minister of Information. Also an appeal was made to the Parliamentary Committee on Health to intervene.

We have also been in regular contact with the Sierra Leone Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Bockarie Stevens, who has with great interest made several contacts to Government officials in Freetown, but has been unable to bring the issue to conclusion. What is then really the issue for the undue delay in releasing the containers duty-free to the government hospitals, which are in desperate need of them? Is there a political dimension to the issue? Is it incompetence or bureaucratic bungling on the part of the responsible Ministries? By all indications, it appears as if nobody is in control, and no one knows how to proceed in resolving the problem. It is a disgrace for one to go to the level of the Office of the President just to get a container released for charitable need. Is the responsible Ministry not competent enough to handle such issue? It would seem to me that the system is dysfunctional.

This whole matter is indeed an outrage, to say the least, and an embarrassment to the Government of Sierra Leone, which has not acted effectively and responsibly in the public interest. However, the greater burden of this issue rests squarely with the Minister of Health, Dr. Soccoh Kabia. As a physician himself, he must know the urgency and delicacy of the issue especially so when it concerns sensitive medical supplies being stored and held under a harsh tropical climate. At the same time, Dr. Kabia took a photo-op trip to the United States at the expense of the Sierra Leone taxpayers to request for assistance in the areas of medical personnel, medical supplies and equipments. And yet, inexplicably, he cannot clear and deliver two containers of medical supplies already at his doorstep to the people of Bo and Kono. It leaves one to wonder then how he will be able to deliver containers from the USA. to Sierra Leone. The Minister owes the public, and especially the citizenry of Bo and Kono, an explanation as to why the medical supplies for their hospitals have been left at the port for over seven months, while the hospitals are in dire need. This raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the Minister of Health, and his commitment to deliver healthcare services to the people of Sierra Leone.

Our patience has long since been exhausted. We are completely out of time. A much longer delay under a harsh weather condition will affect the quality and effectiveness of the medical supplies and equipment. Our project sponsors are very much concerned with the state of affairs with the donated containers, and hope for a speedy conclusion before any damage is done to the medical supplies and biomedical equipments. A failed attempt now will make it unlikely for further shipment to Sierra Leone in the future. MedShare has successfully shipped at least nine containers of medical supplies and equipment to Sierra Leone in the last three years.

We will definitely hold the Minister of Health, Dr. Soccoh Kabia, and his Ministry fully responsible for the safety and security of those containers. We expect the containers to be released immediately and delivered to the designated hospitals under the supervision of the Fullah Progressive Union – Georgia. Besides, we would want a convincing explanation from the Commissioner of NRA/Ministry of Finance for rejecting our application for duty-free concession. Every citizen of Bo and Kono should be outraged, and demand prompt action from their parliamentarians.

The Fullah Progressive Union – Georgia is a non-profit and non-partisan organization, and therefore does not endorse any political party or ideology. However, we will not sit back and allow incompetence on the part of the government to derail our humanitarian projects for the people of Sierra Leone. The least we expect from the government is for it to act as facilitator by creating a conducive working environment for NGOs to operate, and not act as a stumbling block to progress and development.

About MedShare International: www.medshare.org.

MedShare International, a 501-(c)-3 non-profit organization, provides vital medical supplies and equipment to economically developing countries by recycling unneeded surplus from U.S. manufacturers, distributors and healthcare systems.  MedShare recovers and delivers medical goods that are valuable and needed, but which would be discarded due to procedural excess, regulatory requirements or production overage. Shipments go to qualified healthcare facilities in developing countries and are customized by direct product orders from MedShare's stock by the recipient institutions. MedShare offers U.S. healthcare providers and suppliers an environmentally and socially responsible alternative to throwing away medical materials.

About Brilliant Earth: www.brilliantearth.com.

Based in San Francisco, Brilliant Earth was created by two socially minded entrepreneurs as an alternative to current diamond industry practices. Co-founders Beth Gerstein and Eric Grossberg formed Brilliant Earth

based on a passion for fine jewelry and a common belief that socially and environmentally responsible buying choices should be freely available to the consumer.

About The Conflict Free Diamond Council: www.conflictfreediamonds.org.

The Conflict Free Diamond Council raises awareness of conflict and conflict-free diamonds to help consumers make informed purchases, and works with the international community to create safer and more socially responsible business practices in the diamond industry. The CFDC believe that a strong consumer demand for certified conflict-free diamonds will pressure international governments, businesses, and organizations to push through necessary reforms to reshape the diamond industry.

Disclosure: This is the official position of the Fullah Progressive Union – Georgia, USA. Any inquiries should be directed to the author, Alphajoh Cham at 678-592-7814 or alphajohcham@yahoo.com. Website: www.fpugeorgia.org