Minister of Health Dr. Austin Demby, accompanied by senior Ministry of Health officials, on Monday inspected the ongoing construction of a modern Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences facility at the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) in Kossoh Town, Jui, in the Western Rural District.
The visit focused on assessing the progress of the project and engaging contractors on the expected timeline for completion.
The facility, valued at approximately US$3.5 million and funded by the Government of Sierra Leone in partnership with development partners (including support linked to the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights project), is designed to accommodate about 1,500 students. It will serve as a centre of excellence for medical education, training, research and innovation.
The new building will feature modern laboratories (including wet and dry labs), interactive teaching classrooms, advanced research facilities, an electronic platform for global lecture exchanges, a lecture theatre, skills lab, offices for the Dean and Heads of Departments, and staff spaces. These are intended to create a significantly improved environment for training Sierra Leone’s next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory scientists and other health professionals.
Dr. Demby described the project as a concrete demonstration of the government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare education and building a highly skilled national health workforce.
“We will use this facility to train the next generation of health professionals,” he said, calling it an important investment in the future of healthcare delivery and advancement in Sierra Leone.
The project traces its roots to a groundbreaking ceremony in May 2024, when Dr. Demby turned the sod at the COMAHS Kossoh Town campus. At the time, officials highlighted Sierra Leone’s severe shortage of medical doctors — then estimated at around 500 (with only about 350 in clinical roles) for a population of roughly eight million, against a stated need for 5,000 or more.
COMAHS had historically graduated fewer than 50 doctors per year, a figure the Ministry has worked to expand substantially through increased enrolment and new infrastructure.
The new Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences represents one of the first major direct government investments in the college’s physical infrastructure. Related recent developments at COMAHS include the installation of a state-of-the-art Anatomage digital anatomy system, inspected by President Julius Maada Bio, and broader efforts under the government’s Human Capital Development agenda.
Once completed, the facility is expected to help scale up the production of well-trained health workers, reduce reliance on overseas training, address brain drain, and support national goals such as lowering maternal mortality and improving overall healthcare access across the country. Officials have also pointed to complementary investments, including a new midwifery school in Kenema and plans for expanded medical training at Njala University.
The Ministry of Health continues to engage contractors to ensure quality delivery and timely completion of this key infrastructure project.
