How Staff Are Preparing for the Maternal Center of Excellence’s Opening Day

As the opening of the Paul E. Farmer Maternal Center of Excellence (MCOE) draws closer, staff are focused and eager.

"I'm so excited talking about it," says Francess Kamara, senior midwife mentor for Partners In Health (PIH) Sierra Leone. "We have put a lot of energy and work to get [midwives] prepared. The whole team has done so much."

On February 14, the longtime vision of the MCOE will become reality, as the doors open to its first patients. As training sessions continue, Kamara is eager for the midwives she's mentored to apply what they've learned. Since the Oct. 25, 2025 ribbon-cutting and inauguration of the MCOE, staff have undergone intensive training and orientation amid the new space and equipment.

From electronic medical records to biomedical equipment, such as advanced vitals monitors and oxygen cylinders, staff are learning how to safely provide dignified, high-quality care in the 120-bed facility, which sits on the existing Koidu Government Hospital (KGH) campus.

Hands-On Training Builds Confidence

The MCOE, which will open in a phased approach to ensure quality and efficiency, will initially employ approximately 200 clinical staff. This includes 51 midwives, contracted by Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health and trained by PIH Sierra Leone staff. As a facilitator, Kamara has supported new and existing employees, working alongside Isata Dumbuya, PIH Sierra Leone's director of reproductive, maternal, and neonatal health. Together, they ensure training runs smoothly, topics are adequately covered, and most importantly, that staff understand the information and feel prepared to deliver care.

Dumbuya regularly reminds staff that training triumphs technology. The MCOE has nearly every piece of cutting-edge technology needed to skillfully treat pregnant women and babies. However, staff must know how to use the equipment as intended to effectively serve women. It's her priority to "ensure that every staff that works there, in whatever capacity, [are] motivated, equipped, and fully prepared to be able to deliver a high standard of care."

Amid providing ongoing care at PIH-supported KGH, staff rotate through various training sessions. Through hands-on learning, they directly interact with equipment in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), the first in Sierra Leone. They learn the names and functions of every machine, practice how to operate and troubleshoot them, and review proper care and maintenance to ensure patient safety and longevity of the tools.

"Staff training is very, very important," Kamara emphasizes. "It has given the midwives the confidence, the requisite skills, and knowledge that they may require to start operations at the MCOE."

These lifesaving skills will directly impact mothers and babies. The MCOE has vital equipment, such as infusion pumps, to precisely monitor IV fluids and prevent serious complications, such as fluid overload-addressing an ongoing challenge at KGH.

Another component of the training focuses on the electronic medical record (EMR) system, ensuring staff understand how to accurately record patient information, including medical history, and use the proper filing codes.

Mariama Gifty Lahai, a critical care nurse in the maternity ward at Koidu Government Hospital, trained in Ghana through a PIH Sierra Leone scholarship. With years of experience in Freetown and Kono, she now brings advanced critical care expertise to improve maternal health services. Photo by Ibrahim John Kamara / PIH

Mariama Gifty Lahai, a critical care nurse for PIH Sierra Leone, completed the EMR training-among other courses-and is confident that this will allow clinicians to deliver better care. With the EMR system, staff can spend more time with patients and less time compiling handwritten paperwork and tracking down documents across units.

Lahai, one of only a handful of Sierra Leonean nurses with critical care nursing expertise, feels well prepared and is excited to begin work at the state-of-the-art facility. For her, the MCOE is deeply personal-especially after a recent pregnancy loss.

"I strongly believe my baby could have had a chance to live only if there was a facility like the MCOE, with a NICU, here in Kono," says Lahai. "The presence of a place like this gives me hope."

Training Rooted in PIH Values

Alongside technical training, sessions have emphasized PIH's core beliefs and values. While the recently recruited midwives bring extensive experience in patient care, many are new to PIH's unique approach to care.

During training workshops, Dumbuya teaches midwives about PIH's mission to provide a "preferential option for the poor in health care," including no-cost services. This is surprising to many trainees, as most come from clinics where patients pay for care.

"We really do mean that this is free," Dumbuya emphasizes to trainees. "And this is how we go about ensuring that this can happen," she says, before introducing the concept of social support. At PIH, health services extend beyond medication and include the essential resources, or social support, to ensure effective care: food, transportation, housing, education, and more. The training reinforces the importance of dignity, compassion, and teamwork as essential components of high-quality maternal health services.

Francess Kamara, midwife mentor, helps Elizabeth Lebbie breastfeed her newborn baby at Koidu Government Hospital. Photo by Abubakarr Tappiah Sesay / PIH

When the MCOE opens its doors next month, most clinical staff-approximately 93%-will be Sierra Leonean nationals. Hiring locally is essential to PIH's work and care delivery across every site around the globe. With a deep understanding of language, culture, and community, local staff can provide respectful and effective care.

A mother of two, Kamara went to KGH throughout her second pregnancy. She chose to seek care in Kono-rather than Freetown, where she delivered her first child-because of a deep trust in the staff and their expertise. Upon completing antenatal visits at KGH, Kamara underwent an emergency cesarean section there, delivering a healthy child, now 2 years old. The quality of care she received is the same as she sees her colleagues deliver every day to all patients, staff or not-and knows this will continue at the MCOE.

"As a mom, as a midwife, as a Salonean ... it's a dream come true for me," says Kamara, as she eagerly awaits the opening of the MCOE.

Although a major milestone, the opening of the MCOE is just the beginning. Ensuring the facility can provide the highest quality care requires continued investment, including continuous training. Looking ahead, a dedicated training site and dormitory-a 10-minute drive from the MCOE-are underway and will provide a dynamic environment for ongoing learning.

Learn More About the MCOE

The MCOE is a state-of-the-art facility for quality care delivery, innovation, and a model for training the next generation of health care workers in a rural setting.

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