A medical team of Physicians Across Continents (PAC) today, 1st February, 2012 left the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Sierra Leone to deliver free medical treatments to the poor and needy for a period of 10 days.
The team is composed of health professionals from Saudi Arabia, America, Russia, Sweden, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Malaysia.
According to the head of the thirty- man delegation, Dr. Sa’ad Ali Al-Garni who is also a Consultant, Vascular Surgery at the King Faisal Specialists Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh, the team is comprised of Blood Vessel Surgeons, General Surgeons, Pediatricians, Gynecologists, Anesthesiologists, Dentists etc.
Giving a background about the Saudi based charitable organization; Dr Al-Garni said PAC was founded in 2004. He added that it’s a humanitarian aid organization operating under the auspices of the Muslim World League and it helps to treat patients around the globe regardless of race, colour, religion and country.
For his part, Charge d’ Affaires at the Sierra Leone Embassy in Riyadh, Eric B. Gamanga, the visit of the medics will boost President Koroma’s Agenda for Change in the improvement of the health sector.
It could be recalled that on assumption of office in 2007, President Koroma listed health as one of his priority areas in his Agenda for Change. The president’s vision is accessible, affordable and now, there is quality health care for all Sierra Leoneans, especially children under-five, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
This is the second visit of PAC to Sierra Leone. In December 2009, the late Deputy Health Minister, Mohamed Daudis Koroma was very instrumental in extending an invitation to 28 PAC members who paid a week-long official visit to Sierra Leone.
In a letter dated 10th December, 2009, addressed to the Secretary General of PAC, the late Deputy Health Chief requested the doctors to provide an oxygen machine, drugs and other essential medical supplies for the general populace.
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