Officially launching and opening the Aspen Medical clinic to members of the public, the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Mrs Sia Nyama Koroma, said that Aspen Medical partnership with the Bell family is a blessing for Sierra Leone.
“[Aspen Medical]and its local partner Dr Nellie Bell should be commended for beginning to build much needed capacity in specialised areas like trauma medical care, critical care and emergency evacuations through their air ambulance services. I have no doubt that this partnership will not only save lives but will also continue to strengthen our healthcare systems in a very tangible manner.
“During the Ebola outbreak that ravaged the Mano River Union for over 18 months, at a time when many international companies were suspending their operations in the sub-region and withdrawing their international staff, [Aspen Medical ] saw fit to open its operations in the region and begin to offer much needed medical evacuation. We congratulate Aspen Medical for this gesture of goodwill to a nation in suffering and we are grateful that they have not stigmatized our country,” said Mrs Karoma
The First Lady was joined at the ceremony by the wife of the Vice President, the Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation, the Nigerian High Commissioner, Liberian Ambassador, EU Ambassador, Spanish Consul, members of the NGO community and prominent Sierra Leonean medical practitioners.
The facility is the company’s second such clinic in West Africa following the opening of a clinic in Monrovia, Liberia, in early 2014. In addition to the clinic in Sierra Leone, the company has also recently launched aero-medical evacuation (AME) and general aviation services in West Africa.
Aspen Medical was one of the only organisations in the world to be contracted by three separate countries to deliver their Ebola response. The company managed the Australian Government’s Ebola Treatment Centre in Sierra Leone from mid-December 2014 until the end of April 2015. The company then went on to manage the Kerry Town Treatment Unit on behalf of the UK Government as well as providing support to the laboratory run by Public Health England. The company also managed four Ebola Treatment Units in Liberia on behalf of the US Government in Liberia.
Photo (L – R) : Dr Nellie Bell (Aspen Medical), First Lady Mrs Sia Nyama Koroma, Dr Modupeh Taylor Pearce (Ceremony MC )