Extension of a hospital

In response to an increased influx of patients, SSLDF aimed to increase the capacity, the conditions and the quality of care at the Magbenteh Community Hospital (MCH) in Makeni, by constructing a new outpatient department. The new unit was to include three to five additional examination rooms, a first aid room, a laboratory, an X-ray unit and a dispensary.

The new building was inaugurated in April 2014 and was able to receive over a hundred patients a day in improved conditions with better quality medical care. The increased quality of care drew private companies from the region to the hospital, enabling it to consolidate its finances and secure the provision of free medical care for children under five. The MCH had to shut down between August and October as a consequence of the Ebola outbreak. Despite the difficulties prevailing in the country, over 200 healthy babies were born after it reopened, with a mortality rate of less than 1%.

The Swiss-Sierra Leone Development Foundation (SSLDF) was founded in 1996. It seeks to enhance and promote the welfare and socio-economic development of vulnerable groups in Sierra Leone. To this end, it provides support to the Magbenteh Community Hospital (MCH) in Makeni.