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Vice President Jalloh Admonishes NASSIT Administration to Invest in Healthcare & Housing


  18 Octobre      41        Economy (14994), Santé (305),

   

(SLENA, 18th October, 2022). The Honourable Vice President of Sierra Leone, Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh admonished NASSIT Administration to invest on Healthcare infrastracture and Housing during the Trust’s National Members Conference at the Bintumani Center in Aberdeen, Freetown.
Delivering the Keynote speech, the Hon, Vice President said that NASSIT can invest in healthcare infrastructure by rolling out the health insurance scheme to reduce out of pocket expenditure by average Sierra Leoneans to access health services. He cited radiography units that house X-Ray machines in hospitals as one of the areas the Trust can invest in and outsource the management of the facility to Sierra Leonean private sectors. Adding that everything about the private sector is profit; therefore, the private sector partner will do everything to repair the machine in case of damage in order to retain the business. He emphasized that Sierra Leone has good medical professionals that can perform any medical operation, but the problem in the country is medical equipment.
VP Jalloh also encouraged NASSIT management to invest in housing and reduced housing poverty in Freetown. He noted that people are constructing houses under bridges and those houses are affected during the rainy season because of the topography in Freetown. He furthered that the housing needs and space to accommodate everybody in Freetown is unimaginable and called on the management of NASSIT to invest in housing outside Freetown like Lungi. “The construction of houses outside Freetown can stop dangerous construction in Freetown” he opined. He informed participants about the provision of State lands in the Peninsular area, Western Rural District to five hundred public sector workers including teachers, nurses, military and police officers by the Bio’s Administration for the first time; the public sector workers were beneficiaries of a raffle draw that was organized by the Ministry of Lands.
He disclosed that housing poverty and healthcare provision are critical challenges affecting both pensioners and working class. He noted that despite Government’s commitment in budgetary allocation increment in the health sector from 6% in 2018 to 11.45 in 2022, Government is still short of the Abuja Declaration of 15% threshold on health budget.
He urged the Management of the social security Trust to review the entity’s investment portfolio that will enhance private sector investment. He disclosed to the gathering about Government’s determination to see an innovative Public Private Partnership from NASSIT.
Dr Jalloh informed about the implementation of the three elements of the Human Capital Development Vision of President Bio, which includes education, health, and food production. He said that the elements are about placing human beings at the center of Government effort.s
He revealed about the Government of President Bio engagement in capital investment in the area of revenue generation on ascending to power in 2018. He told the audience that revenue generation was doing well until COVID-19 struck, followed by the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Since then, he stated, Government has been struggling to increase revenue and undertake capital investment. Dr Jalloh maintained that despite the challenges, Government has honoured it commitment to  the social sector, education and health.
He explained that transforming NASSIT was a manifesto commitment by President Bio. He expressed commitment by the New Direction Government to undertake progressive audit of institutions with the objective to make the institutions fit for purpose. He therefore urged the Chief Executive, and Board of Trustees of NASSIT to speed up the review of the Act that established the institution.
Alpha Timbo-Minister of Labour and Social Security informed the audience that NASSIT was launched on 1st May, 2002 by late President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. He said that the NASSIT scheme was launched to take care of workers livelihood, families and their dependents.  He told the audience that the Trust was collecting 15% contribution for every formal worker, with the employer paying 10% and the employee paying 5%. Minister Timbo informed that the Members Conference was launched after the first five years of NASSIT establishment, adding that the Conference was not only used to celebrate success but  to be a potent tool of national sensitization during which a critical look of the Trust activities were looked into as well as challenges.
Fouad Daboh, the Chief Executive of NASSIT commended Government for its consistent support in pursuit of the institution objectives of establishing an effective Social Security Trust. He said that the Act that established NASSIT makes the scheme for all workers in the formal sector, where there is an employer/employee relationship. The two days Conference is expected to last on Friday 14th October 2022, and brought together both local and international participants.

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