Maternal Health Center

Sierra Leone faces a lack of funding for its health system. 1 out 17 women in Sierra Leone will die from a treatable maternal cause. Children are also facing high mortality rates, roughly 1 out of 10 children will not make it to their 5th birthday. Partners in Health (PIH) is committed to improving access to healthcare for women and children in Sierra Leone. In partnership with the Ministry of Health, they are planning a Maternal Center of Excellence (MCoE) at the Koidu Government Hospital (KGH). This McOE will focus on reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and child health as well as offering clinical training, mentorship, and research opportunities. Aside from providing top-of-the-line care, the facility will be a training ground for local staff to build capacity for quality care in the region. While at BHI, the design team worked with clinicians from KGH and PIH to develop the campus program which informed the initial masterplan design. The campus is designed as a series of quads to create open space for families to gather and provide patient privacy. The facilities are organized to optimize patient and staff flow, and ensure critically ill patients will receive top-of-the-line care. Passive design strategies are employed in the conceptual design to increase airflow into the space and reduce dependency on electricity. The masterplan and concept design were used for initial fundraising efforts. PIH and the Ministry of Health have continued to work with Build Health International on the design of the hospital and are slated to break ground in the spring of 2021.