Freetown — A Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) Member of Parliament representing Constituency 76 in the Bo district yesterday stated that the free healthcare initiative was good but has lots of wastages and lapses in the distribution of drugs and accessing of the service across the country.

Contributing on the motion to thank the president on his speech to parliament, Hon. Emma Josephine Kowa pointed out that pregnant women in some distant villages are finding it extremely difficult to access the free drugs on time, a situation she said sometimes leads to death of lactating mothers and children under the age of five.

"The road network leading to some peripheral health units is in poor condition. Some pregnant women had to purchase drugs from different PHU centres. This ugly development sometimes leads to the death of their unborn babies," she noted.

Hon. Kowa maintained that some essential drugs which are needed for pregnant women are not usually available at the required time and missionary hospitals located in some parts of the country do not have access to the free healthcare drugs.

According to the SLPP MP, the huge misappropriation of funds meant for health project in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation is not good.

"I am pleading with the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission to do a proper investigation and whosoever is found guilty should face the full force of the law," she urged.