A China-aided Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), the first of its kind in Sierra Leone, has opened at the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Hospital in Freetown. The unit, which opened on Wednesday, is designed to provide centralised monitoring and prompt intervention to patients with acute and critical cardiovascular conditions, addressing a growing national demand for specialised heart care.
The new CICU is outfitted with cardiac monitors, defibrillators, ventilators, and other specialised devices that allow for continuous monitoring and rapid response for patients with serious heart disease. According to members of the 26th batch of the Chinese medical team stationed in Sierra Leone, the country is facing an increasing burden of cardiovascular disease as well as a persistent shortage of critical care resources. The unit’s launch is described as a concrete step in the Sierra Leone-China Paired Hospital Cooperation Mechanism Project’s efforts to close the gap.
At the opening ceremony, Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Health, Charles Senessie, publicly thanked the Chinese expert team for their assistance and pledged to fully utilise the new platform to strengthen diagnostic and treatment services throughout the country. He emphasised the importance of broadening the scope of cardiovascular services to better serve patients nationwide.
Tao Xueyong, deputy director of the Health Commission of Hunan Province in central China, said Chinese and Sierra Leonean clinicians will collaborate to ensure the CICU runs safely and efficiently. Tao emphasised the importance of transferring medical technology while also developing local talent, to create a sustainable, homegrown cardiac care workforce — what he referred to as “a medical team that never leaves.”
Representatives from the Chinese medical team stated that they will continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation through hands-on technical training, case discussions, and regular communication. These ongoing activities are intended to support long-term improvements in Sierra Leone’s healthcare system and to help institutionalise advanced cardiac care capabilities beyond the new facility.
