TEHRAN – Sierra Leone's Minister of Health and Sanitation, Alpha Wurie, has praised the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) for offering health services to the African country.

In a trip to Sierra Leone, Karim Hemmati, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, visited the IRCS medical centers in this country and discussed enhanced cooperation with Sierra Leone's Minister of Health and Sanitation and Christian Faya, head of the Sierra Leonean Red Cross.

It was agreed to extend the memorandum of understanding between the two countries, which had been signed in 2017, IRNA reported on Saturday.

Accordingly, the IRCS expressed readiness to equip the medical facilities, as well as setting up specialized wards of obstetrics and gynecology, and hemodialysis in this medical center.

Wurie, for his part, praised the services provided by the Iranian Red Crescent Society and stated that the services will be a great help to the people of this country, which will be useful in expanding the bilateral cooperation.

In the meeting with Faya, Hemmati said that “we continue to provide services, despite all the challenges and problems caused by U.S. sanctions.”

The IRCS medical centers have been providing services to the people in need in Freetown, since 2003, he stated, expressing readiness to provide more appropriate services to the people of this country by upgrading the medical equipment.

The promotion of services as well as the training of volunteers and staff in various fields, including COVID-19, are among the programs of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, which can also be done through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, he explained.

Faya also referring to the events that have taken place in this country over the past few years, said that incidents such as the Civil War from 1991 to 2003, the outbreak of infectious diseases such as Ebola, tuberculosis, and coronavirus, as well as the landslide during these years, had caused problems for Sierra Leone.

IRCS’s medical assistance and support for this country have been very useful and effective during the incidents, he added.

With the outbreak of the COVID-19, the Iranian Red Crescent has been able to support Sierra Leonean Red Cross to help people in need, Faya highlighted.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. While appreciating the services and assistance of the Iranian Red Crescent to the Sierra Leone Red Cross, they called for the continuation of these aids and services to the people.

IRCS services worldwide

On January 13, Hemmati said that the Iranian Red Crescent Society provides medical services to people in 13 Asian, African, and Latin American countries.

Currently, some 14 medical facilities are offering humanitarian, relief, and health services to the deprived people in 13 countries, including Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, Bolivia, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Congo, Kenya, Lebanon, Mali, Niger, and Ecuador, he stated.

The important point in establishing medical centers abroad is that all of these centers are self-governing and earn their income by providing services to patients in the mentioned countries,” he noted.

FB/MG