Clinic
About the clinic
Adama, 29 Officer in Charge at Kroo Bay Clinic
It’s very difficult to run an efficient clinic here. Since I took over in October I haven’t had the supply of drugs I need. The patients often can’t afford to pay for their drugs so they go to drug peddlers instead.
Videos from the clinic
Slideshows from the clinic
The problems
The biggest health problems for children in this community are diarrhoea, respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and coughs, worm infestation and also malaria.
The community use the clinic for other purposes - for meetings and for school lessons - but this is a clinic.
The toilet facilities are very poor, there are cracks all over the building, the cupboards are broken, rats come inside, we don’t have enough locks and people have stolen the window glass.
Giving birth
Most people deliver their babies at home. We encourage them to come to the clinic, but they don’t. Then if anything goes wrong during delivery they rush to bring them here. We don’t have a delivery kit at the clinic, the nurse brings her own personal one for deliveries. We can’t sterilise anything here and we have nothing to dress wounds with.
Our challenge
I am newly educated and I am very excited to be working in this community. At college we learned that a community health officer is trained to meet the community’s needs and that we should take actions to cope with the problems we face.
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Videos from the clinic
What's the clinic like
Nurses at work
A job well done
Renovations survey
New lives new hopes
Clinic renovations
Slideshows from the clinic
Our links
Check out the joint diary that we're keeping on the BBC
Monday 9th June 2008: Sierra Leone slum medic
Thursday 15th May 2008: Sierra Leone slum medic
Sunday 20th April 2008: Sierra Leone slum medic
Tuesday 8th April 2008: Sierra Leone slum medic
Tuesday 1st April 2008: Sierra Leone slum medic
Friday 21st March 2008: Sierra Leone slum medic
Friday 14th March 2008: Sierra Leone slum medic
Friday 7th March 2008: Sierra Leone slum medic
Thursday 28th February: Sierra Leone slum medic
Sunday 17th February 2008: Sierra Leone slum medic
Featured Message
I heard the health officer of the Kroo Bay Clinic on the radio. At the time I was on my way to a private hospital in Wimbledon in London with a knee injury and generally feeling sorry for myself. The taxi driver had BBC World Service on the radio and I heard her being interviewed and the conditions being described. It really put things in perspective for me. I am going to donate £50 to the clinic which I hope will help a little. I thought the woman was inspirational.
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Posted messages
These are some of the messages posted to the clinic staff.
We'll ask them if they'd like to respond as soon as possible.
Hello, I will be working soon with street boys in Freetown. I have never been to the area, but I read about your wonderful work and dedication, and it encourages me to no end to see someone working very hard to help the poorest of the poor. I hope to be in Freetown by the end of August. Good luck!
I heard the health officer of the Kroo Bay Clinic on the radio. At the time I was on my way to a private hospital in Wimbledon in London with a knee injury and generally feeling sorry for myself. The taxi driver had BBC World Service on the radio and I heard her being interviewed and the conditions being described. It really put things in perspective for me. I am going to donate £50 to the clinic which I hope will help a little. I thought the woman was inspirational.
Kroo Bay Clinic
It's the first time I've made a donation to an organisation. There are so many unnecessary things I can live without. If I'd just donate a small part of what I spend to make a change somewhere in the world it will be worth it. Specially, if it can help to make children to have a better start in live. They are so vulnerable. It's very sad to see how mothers have to die to give birth... It's an unnecessary death.
I feel guilty of doing nothing to save the children.
I feel resposible for their suffering.
