Lifestyle and health education is saving lives in Sierra Leone

Masanga Hospital lies in Tonkolili in the north of Sierra Leone. It serves 440,000 people across a huge rural area where limited infrastructure means it can take many hours for people to reach the hospital from outlying communities.

With a life-threatening condition such as a cardiac arrest or stroke this prolonged travel time means outcomes can be poor. A high illiteracy rate also reduces the opportunity for self-help or self-education from home.

A Community Health Officer from Masanga, Abubakkar – or ABT as he is known – saw the positive effects that lifestyle education and early intervention made to high-risk patients.
With the help and support of colleagues from the hospital, he has started a regular Thursday Non Communicable Disease (NCD) clinic, open to all members of the community and totally free of charge for both attendance and basic medication.

“Hypertension is skyrocketing in our community,” he explains. “An increase in salt and sugar intake as well as other factors is making it very common. Of course, once you have hypertension this can also lead to heart problems, diabetes and strokes, which can lead to early death. We want to help people control their hypertension before it has an even more serious impact on their health.”

The programme of disease prevention and community education to promote a healthier lifestyle is already paying dividends for the community. An average Thursday clinic will see more than ten people turn up to have their blood pressure monitored, receive advice on lifestyle changes and, if necessary, medication to keep the condition under control.

The fact that ABT himself comes from the local community is a big contributor to the success of the clinic.

“I understand my community,” he says. “I’m from their background so understand the problems such as  worrying about lack of funds for medicine. Our NCD clinic provides the service and drugs for free , but many people aren’t used to this and so hesitate to come along. Trust is really important as if your patients don’t have faith in what you’re saying, they won’t take your advice.”

Masanga Hospital is funded jointly by a consortium of NGOs and the Sierra Leonean government.  To learn more please visit: www.masangauk.co.uk