Sorie is a 15 year old from Matene Village. It is 65 kilometres from Magbenteh Community Hospital and an 135 kilometres from the capital city, Freetown.

Sorie stays with his Grandmother. He got hit by a stone while playing. Being a young and robust teenager he didn’t think much of the small wound at the time, a few days later he noticed the area had begun to swell. Sorie’s grandmother decided to take him to Emergency Hospital in Freetown where he was given first line treatment. However, due to circumstances Sorie had to be referred to Connaught Hospital. His condition was not improving. He was then sent to the village because of lack of resources to nurse his injury at the local village hospital. The hospital which couldn’t handle the tropical ulcer condition sent him to Magbenteh Community Hospital.

The Magbenteh Community Hospital prides itself in care of the young. The hospital has a dedicated outpatient department. This is evident of the strides taken to care to the young of society. Sorie’s case is no different as a young man he should be able to lead his life normally but due to the condition ailing him, he faces a challenge. The Doctors at Magbenteh Communty Hospital have treated Sorie’s condition in order to save his leg. He does however use a cane while walking and may have difficulty walking as easily as before.

5 months since Sorie was admitted, his situation and health is thankfully much improved.

Sierra Leone as a whole has limited skilled experts in the area of orthopaedics, with less than 200 Doctors in a country of 6.9 million people. The high number of amputees living in the country can are as a result of the Civil War and lack of orthopaedic care, allowing for rash decisions such as amputation to prevent further sickness or in extreme cases, death.

Sorie is one of the lucky ones. Donors are encouraged to assist in raising funds for health facilities such as Magbenteh Community Hospital in order to ease the pain of cases such as this.