Viral video exposes gaps in Sierra Leone’s emergency medical services and reignites public outrage. A recent incident in Sierra Leone has drawn widespread attention to the country’s strained healthcare system after a family was compelled to carry a dead body on a motorcycle due to the unavailability of ambulances.
The harrowing event was captured on video and shared online, showing a corpse strapped onto a motorbike navigating busy streets—a stark illustration of the nation’s systemic emergency response failures.
Citizens have responded with shock and anger, calling the episode proof of President Julius Maada Bio’s inability to provide basic public health services.
Sierra Leone’s healthcare infrastructure has long struggled under a legacy of underfunding and crises. Even before the Ebola epidemic in 2014–2016, the country ranked as one of Africa’s worst systems—the Mo Ibrahim Index ranked it the fourth-worst on the continent.
According to World Bank data, Sierra Leone still has among the world’s highest maternal mortality rates (about 1,120 deaths per 100,000 live births).
Reflecting fragile hospitals and referral networks. During the Ebola outbreak, foreign governments donated hundreds of ambulances to Sierra Leone, but many vehicles ended up unused; an Al Jazeera investigation reported that “90 government ambulances [were] gathering dust in a warehouse,” leaving ordinary citizens reliant on taxis and on-foot transport.
In recent years, authorities have tried to address this gap: in 2018, the government launched the National Emergency Medical Service (NEMS), a staffed ambulance system. By early 2020, NEMS had deployed roughly 80 ambulances across the country (about 4–8 per district).
However, this service was initially limited to formal clinic referrals, not direct public requests, leaving many in rural areas still without timely emergency transport
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In the latest case, relatives of the deceased reportedly sought medical transport but found none available. Instead, they placed the body on a hired motorcycle taxi and travelled through the city. The video shows a mourning man and woman sitting atop the motorbike, steering carefully as onlookers watch in disbelief. It is unclear where the family was headed—whether to a hospital for formalities or a cemetery—but the circumstances highlight the desperate measures families may take. Local media have not identified the victims or the exact location of the incident, and authorities say the full details are still being determined.
Public reaction has been swift and scathing. Sierra Leoneans on social media and news forums condemned the government’s failure to ensure basic services. Many viewers described the scene as heartbreaking proof of neglect. One online commentator noted that citizens have warned for years that rural communities “still lack access to basic emergency responses,” despite official promises of healthcare reforms.
Critics explicitly blamed the Bio administration: the viral clip, they say, illustrates leadership priorities that favour expensive overseas travel and luxury while hospitals and ambulances are neglected. Calls for urgent investment in health infrastructure—especially ambulances and rural clinics—quickly resurfaced. As one news outlet reported, the incident “has sparked concern and brought back calls for the government to invest in critical health facilities, particularly rural and emergency services.”
Government officials have so far offered only a limited response. The Ministry of Health noted that efforts are underway to improve healthcare logistics nationwide, but it has not issued any statement specifically addressing this case.
The President and health authorities have cited progress such as the expansion of NEMS; in fact, the Sierra Leone government recently committed US$5 million to sustain the national ambulance network
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They argue that such funding will eventually enhance emergency response capacity. However, no official explanation has emerged for why ambulances were unavailable at the time of the incident, and the family’s plight remains a troubling symbol of unresolved infrastructure gaps. The episode underscores broader health concerns in Sierra Leone. Medical experts warn that inadequate transport can have deadly consequences: they point out that in remote areas, pregnant women or critically ill patients often resort to motorbikes or makeshift stretchers when ambulances cannot reach them. As one rural doctor noted during the Ebola era, “If a pregnant woman is referred [to a hospital]… they have to take a motorbike, which is very dangerous.”
Public health advocates say the recent video reminds the nation that systemic weaknesses persist. They argue that without sustained investment and accountability, more families may face the indignity and risk of using a motorcycle in place of an ambulance.
As Sierra Leone reflects on this incident, the message is clear: the country’s emergency medical services must become more reliable and inclusive. Observers say officials need to ensure that donated and government-run ambulances are operational and accessible to all citizens, not just concentrated in urban centres.
For a nation still rebuilding from past crises, preventing tragedies caused by transport failures will require not only resources but also effective management of the healthcare system. The viral motorbike video has put these issues in stark relief, making it harder for policymakers to ignore the ambulance shortage and the lives it affects.