How a Maryland Doctor is transforming Healthcare in Sierra Leone

How a Maryland doctor is transforming healthcare in Sierra Leone 

Fouad Sheriff, a doctor in Maryland is on a mission to increase access to quality prescription medicines in Sierra Leone. With three pharmacies—one  in Freetown, one in Bo and another in Kenema—the Sierra Leonean-American visionary is transforming healthcare.

Dr. Sheriff’s journey began with a medical mission. In 2007, he joined other diaspora-based practitioners on a trip to screen chronic diseases in Sierra Leone. While treating patients he noted that many of their medicines were counterfeit. He wondered how can the most vulnerable in Sierra Leone have good health if their medicines are fake?

From then on he made it his mission to expand access to authentic and affordable prescription medicines for Sierra Leoneans at home and in the diaspora. 

Last month we caught up with Dr. Sheriff in Freetown for the grand opening of the new and improved Cotton Tree Pharmacy now located at 175 Regent Road, Malama. The pharmacy may have a new address but the mission is still the same: provide a world class pharmacy delivery system with an emphasis on providing great customer service. 

Dr. Fouad Sheriff

1. Q) Tell us about your childhood and your family. What are your fondest early memories of boyhood in Sierra Leone? 

I was born and raised in Freetown. I have fond memories growing up in Tengbeh Town and Juba Hill. I mostly played football with my friends. On Sundays, though, I went to Lumley Beach with my parents. 

1. Q) Tell us about moving to the US. When and how did you emigrate?

In August 1988, I moved to the state of Maryland in the United States.  It was a defining moment in my life. I relocated with my mom who  felt that moving to the States at that time was best for my future. I was able to further my education and go to a good college. I will forever remain grateful for having the opportunity to continue my studies in the States.

1. Q) Tell us about medicine. Why and how did you know this was your path?

I would like to say that medicine chose me. I always thought of science and medicine as something fun. My maternal grandmother was a traveling nurse and I thank her for my  early exposure to hospitals and clinics. She worked at Pujehun, Bo, and Connaught hospitals.

1. Q) Where did you go to school? Please share your medical qualifications and any accomplishments that make you proud. 

I got my undergraduate degree from Howard University in Washington DC. I attended medical school at Saba University School of Medicine, and I completed residency at UCLA- Kern Medical Centre in California. 

1. Q) You had already established yourself as a doctor in the US. What led you to start coming back and how did you get the idea to open Cotton Tree Pharmacy?

My first medical mission in Sierra Leone was on December 8, 2007 at the Youyi Building. During the mission, I found out that 20-30% of the patients were using counterfeit medications for chronic ailments such as high blood pressure.  They were using medications, yet their conditions were out of control. How was that possible?

From that experience, I knew I wanted to make a difference by opening a pharmacy that would sell authentic drugs. Before I even returned to America from that medical mission, I began the paperwork to establish a pharmacy business. Cotton Tree Pharmacy represents my aspiration of contributing to a healthier and prosperous Sierra Leone. 

1. Q) How did you decide on the name?

Instead of my name or family name, I wanted a name all Sierra Leoneans can relate to which is the famous Cotton Tree. 

1. Q) When you first launched six years ago, the Diaspora Connect Service was a cornerstone of Cotton Tree Pharmacy’s service delivery system. What is it and how has it impacted diasporans’ ability to support healthcare for families at home in Salone?

The Diaspora Connect Service is an online pharmacy delivery service where Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora can procure quality and authentic medications for their families in Sierra Leone. They pay online and their family members go to the pharmacy in Salone and pick up their purchases. For those who can’t physically pick up their orders, we make arrangements to deliver their medications to them in any part of the country. 

So basically, overseas family members send funds to us to cover the exact cost of prescription medicines for sick family members, instead of sending generic amounts of money to their relatives themselves using a money transfer service. (As we all know from experience, sometimes family members are tempted to use the money for other things instead of buying medicines.) With us, the sponsoring family members in the diaspora pay for the medications using our website, Zelle or CashApp.

This is how the Diaspora Connect Service works. It gives Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora the ability to buy authentic medications for family members in Sierra Leone from wherever in the world they live. Sixty percent of Cotton Tree Pharmacy’s revenue is generated from the diaspora, especially from the USA as we provide quality drugs that are safe, affordable and efficacious.

1. Q) What other unique services does the pharmacy offer? In what ways has the Pharmacy leveraged technology to enhance delivery of services? 

Cotton Tree Pharmacy has leveraged technology to better provide efficient delivery services online with the ordering and payment of medication, and we offer free delivery services within Freetown’s city center.  For a small fee, we provide delivery services  anywhere in Sierra Leone. 

1. Q) Cotton Tree Pharmacy has opened three branches in six years. How were you able to expand?

We have expanded our operations in the provinces of Bo and Kenema. Our parent company, Cotton Tree Medical Group, which operates our pharmacies has a Public-Private Partnership  agreement with the government that allows us—a  private sector institution—to establish a pharmacy business within their hospital system. This partnership was created to alleviate medication shortages within the government hospital system. These cost recovery pharmacies are open 24/7 and are mandated to provide safe, affordable, and effective medications to hospital patients and to the general public. 

1. Q) What lessons have you learned running a business in Sierra Leone from the diaspora? 

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is structure. It is important to have a sound, cohesive and transparent structure in place for any Sierra Leonean businesses to thrive. In the pharmacy business, our holy grail is called an SOP, a Standard Operating  Procedures manual that governs the management of a pharmacy from A to Z.  Equally important to the success of a business is its human resources. Having quality employees to support the structures you put in place is vitally important.  

1. Q) How do you balance your role as a doctor in the US and as an entrepreneur in Sierra Leone? Do you ever feel conflicted?

It’s difficult work, especially with a 4 to 5 hour time difference between these two places. But I am able to manage, by the grace of God, with discipline and commitment.  I also have passion for the work I do. This provides a buttress of sorts to the difficulties I face.

It’s not easy to maintain a business in Sierra Leone  as well as having a full time job practicing as a hospital physician in  the US.  On more days than I would like to admit,  this means I  have to wake up extra early in the morning to speak with employees and  to hold staff meetings. This has been possible with dedication, sacrifice, and a genuine love for what I do, as well as a desire to make a positive impact on Sierra Leone.  

1. Q) What advice do you have for others in the diaspora still on the fence about investing in Sierra Leone.

Entrepreneurship, especially in Sierra Leone, is not for everyone. My advice is that whatever you decide to do, you must do your homework first. You have to be an expert at the craft or trade you embark on.  You also need to have passion for whatever you do. That will buoy you through the hard times.  It can be very difficult to maintain and manage a business when you’re not on the ground all of the time. So having real passion for what you do is a sure sign that you are heading in the right direction of what business to do.