COVID-19 is a global pandemic of unprecedented scale with devastating consequences across the globe. Ola During Childrens Hospital (ODCH) in Sierra Leone, is the only childrens hospital in the country, serving around 1/7 of the population, and acting as the only national referral centre for Paediatrics. However, ODCH is entirely ill-equipped to deal with this crisis, without even a temporary isolation structure or reliable water supply to complete basic handwashing. With the rising number of confirmed cases in Sierra Leone, Welbodi Partnership is continuing this urgent campaign to raise funding to help prepare the Childrens Hospital for this public health emergency.

Globally, COVID-19 appears to have fewer severe consequences for children than adults. However, in Sierra Leone, where child morbidity and mortality are already high (infant mortality 78.5 and under-5 mortality 105.1 per 1000 live births in 2018 ) and the healthcare infrastructure weaker, the impact on children may be far greater.

ODCH has already started taking action to minimise the potential impact of a COVID outbreak. Alongside the hospital management team, Welbodi Partnership is working to support the coordination of the COVID-19 response. From this work, it is clear that urgent funding is required for the following priority actions:

1. Securing the water supply

Handwashing is one of the most simple but effective preventative measures in the fight against COVID-19. However, the water supply to ODCH is inadequate. Funds provided will help to maximise the water already available (e.g. through increased storage tank capacity) and to expand the supply to the hospital.

2. Patient isolation facilities

ODCH has no functional isolation unit. Funds are therefore needed to refurbish a temporary structure at the back of the hospital, that was put in during the Ebola outbreak. Even simple, low-cost measures, such as preparing temporary walkways from tarpaulin can help reduce risk of contamination between patients.

3. Treating children in respiratory distress

The hospital has a dearth of the equipment needed to provide oxygen or ventilatory support to patients with COVID-19 or other respiratory conditions. Funds raised through this campaign will be used to help repair broken equipment (such as the essential x-ray machine) and where possible procure essential oxygen and ventilatory-related consumables.

4. Protecting staff

Currently, patients are triaged in an open space, where nurses and clerks work side by side. Without protective measures, this puts front-line staff at high risk. ODCH therefore needs funds to implement simple infection prevention measures like handwashing stations at the gate, provide essential personal protective equipment, build screening booths to shield the healthcare workers and hire security staff.

5. Community sensitisation (via staff, patients and visitors)

In Sierra Leone community engagement will be paramount to ensure accurate information about COVID-19 is disseminated and appropriate preventative measures taken. As a high volume of traffic passes through the hospital (staff, patients, and visitors) ODCH is a prime platform for information dissemination. Funds will enable the hospital to produce educational materials in a variety of mediums to be shared with hospital visitors.

The hospital staff are working tirelessly each day to protect the children and adults of Sierra Leone. With funding we can start to undertake these important actions, protecting not only the hundreds of families that come to the hospital each day but also the staff that care for them.

Update August 2020

The COVID-19 global pandemic has been of unprecedented scale, with devastating consequences across the globe. However, thanks to your generous support, Welbodi Partnership have been able to respond to the crisis rapidly, providing vital support to the Ola During Childrens Hospital.

1. Building a temporary isolation unit structure

To ensure the safety of children and staff, an isolation unit was urgently needed. Funds raised through this campaign allowed the hospital to create a temporary COVID-19 isolation unit, refurbishing an area last used during Ebola. The hospital can now safely manage children with symptoms of COVID-19 whilst protecting those with other conditions. Due to the high-quality care provision at the unit, the hospital is now the primary paesiatric COVID-19 treatment centre.

2. Maintaining critical staffing levels

Staffing levels were threatened by high rates of infections amongst healthcare workers, strict quarantine protocols and fear amongst the community. Funds raised through this campaign were used to provide emergency medical cover for the hospital, so that children could continue to receive essential care. The Welbodi Nurse Training team have remained in the hospital and supported virtual ward rounds with international doctors.

3. Repair of the x-ray machine

The hospitals x-ray machine an essential tool for diagnosing respiratory illness - has been out of use since 2019. Your support has enabled us to procure the parts needed to fix the machine, paramount for the hospital during the pandemic.

4. Supporting the COVID-19 taskforce and delivering urgent training

Welbodi have remained present in the hospital throughout the crisis, helping establish and maintain a COVID-19 taskforce for the hospital. We have provided technical support (toward the development of COVID-19 Standard Operating Procedures) and delivered essential training (such as Personal Protective Equipment use), rapidly to over 100 staff.

Thanks to your support the hospital has been able to act quickly to minimise the impact on children in Sierra Leone, however the pandemic is far from over. With continued support we will be able to respond to the evolving needs of the hospital, and ensure it remains able to serve the needs of those children who so desperately need it.