Photo Credit Dominic Chavez

Sierra Leone Health and Sanitation Minister Haja Zainab  Bangura traveled to Cuba last weekend to finalize negotiations to bring much needed health workers to her country.

The verdict: success, in the form of 32 health specialists coming to Sierra Leone.

She is overjoyed. For a country with a dire shortage of health workers, Bangura said the team will have an immediate impact. South Africa is funding the program with a $3 million grant to Sierra Leone. The team will include:

*Five physician specialists;

* One surgeon, one obstetric and gynecologist, one pediatrician, one internal medicine specialist, and one psychiatrist;

* One dermatology specialist (there is none in Sierra Leone now), one dental specialist,  one bio-medical engineer (Sierra Leone has none);

* Six technicians with bachelor degrees in microbiology, anesthesia, pharmacy, X-ray, clinical laboratory, and rehabilitation;

* And 11 nurses with Bachelor of Science degrees.