Resurge Directors (Steve Hodgson, Catherine Smith, Pascalle Smith)

Visit to Connaught Hospital June 18th-21st 2025 Report

 The aims of the visit were to assess the status of the new Reconstructive Burns and Hand Surgery Unit and further engage with the Hospital Leadership and the Burns Unit Multidisciplinary Team.   The secondary aim was to agree individual room usage and finalize the equipment requirements with a view to ordering equipment via Medical Aid International.

 Burns Unit Multidisciplinary Team

During our visit we met with key members of the Burns Unit Steering Group, most of whom had taken part in the Essential Burns Care Training and Delivery Assessment Tool (DAT) facilitated by Interburns during their visit April 07th-18th 2025.  We had a two hour meeting with the Burns Unit Steering Group consisting of 60 minute discussion and then a walk around the new unit.  Team members present were as follows:

  • Raliatu Omolaja                     Staff Nurse
  • Jennifer Nicol                         SECHN Nurse
  • Alie Turay                                Nurse, Referral Coordinator
  • Haja Umu Sesay                     Burns Nurse
  • Mohamed Sesay                     BSC Nurse
  • Martina Bassie                        Nutritionist
  • Maximilian Bangura              Nurse
  • Abubakarr Kamara                Staff Nurse
  • Rhoda Ugbala                         Training Coordinator
  • Jesse Banguah                        Physiotherapist
  • The same day we also met with the following:
  • Mark Kapuwa                     Hospital Manager
  • Tejan Bayoh                        Hospital Secretary
  • Eric Vreede                          Specialist Anaesthetist
  • Mohamed Kargbo              Specialist Anaesthetist

The following day SH met with Eric Wongo, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon

The Burns Unit Steering Group were engaged and demonstrated an impressive knowledge of the needs for burns care and a high level of motivation to make the new unit successful.  There was strong advocacy for the high standard of equipment and very constructive discussions regarding the use of individual rooms.  We have agreed usage of individual rooms in the new unit summarised below:

  1. Operating theatre with the adjacent operating theatre being used for a burns dressing change room.
  2. The recovery room will be kitted out for two recovery bays.
  3. There will be a high dependency area consisting of two beds for severe burns injury patients.
  4. The two paediatric wards will have capacity for 8 patients each, the majority of patients in cots rather than paediatric beds.
  5. The 2 adult wards will be single sex with 6 beds each. There will be space on the unit for physiotherapy, nutrition and a doctor’s consultation room, enabling Outpatient attendance for patients requiring medical consultation or physiotherapy.
  6. There does appear to be sufficient space for storage. 

Reconstructive Burns and Hand Surgery Unit

The walk round confirmed that this unit is nearing completion with the projected handover date of mid-late July looking realistic.  As mentioned above the room specification has been agreed with the Burns Multidisciplinary Team with only fine detail such as storage space and exact location of therapy to finalise.  Equipment needs have been refined, including additional suggestions from the physiotherapy nutritional teams.  The equipment we will now procure takes into consideration the planned usage of the rooms, the equipment contained within the container supplied by Korle Bu Neuroscience Foundation that is due to arrive in Freetown on August 8th and our current financial position.

Collaborative Partners

We remain grateful to Leonco and National Petroleum for their contribution to the building of the unit and remain committed to ensuring that this contribution is recognised both within the unit and on our website.  We agree with the recommendation from Leonco that the unit is dedicated to the victims and survivors of the serious oil tanker disaster on November 5th 2021.  There will be separate recognition to companies and individuals that have made donations towards the cost of equipment.

Our relationship with Interburns continues to develop with real synergy between the two organisations.  Our Burns Unit Steering Group will play a pivotal role in the 2-year Burns Care Educational Programme being delivered by Interburns who fully understand the need for a functioning tertiary burns unit to support that.

We were able to handover Watson Skin Graft knifes and blades and a mesher kindly donated by William Hughes, Paediatric Burns Surgeon, Philadelphia, USA and friend of Connaught Hospital and Resurge Africa. This donation will be recognised on our website

Overall, this was a very positive and productive visit.  Together we have moved forward our plans to enable the unit to be equipped to deliver high quality patient care.  We are now close to realising the ambition described by Martyn Webster, former Chair of Resurge Africa in 2009.  That is establishing the first Reconstructive Burns and Hand Surgery Unit in Sierra Leone remains committed to continued support to the unit over the next few years.