Claim: The Connaught Hospital will be temporarily closed for six weeks starting from July 21st.
Source: Facebook
Verdict: Misleading
Researched by Idrissa Bangura
A popular Sierra Leonean Facebook blogger, Hawanatu Konneh, on July 22, 2025, claimed that Connaught Hospital — one of Sierra Leone’s longest-serving medical facilities would be temporarily closed for six weeks.
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Her post captioned: “NOTICE: Temporary Closure of Connaught Hospital” claimed the hospital would be shut down for six (6) weeks for major renovation works.
“Please be informed that Connaught Hospital will be closed for 6 weeks starting from July 21st. This temporary closure is necessary to allow for major renovation works, with a focus on upgrading the mortuary and postmortem departments,” the post partly read.
FactSpace Sierra Leone observed that many who commented on the post believed the information was true while expressing dissatisfaction.
Fact-Check
According to our checks, the official release from the University of Sierra Leone Teaching Hospitals Complex, Freetown Connaught Hospital, did not state that the hospital would be temporarily closed, but its mortuary.
The statement indicated that “Connaught Hospital Mortuary will be temporarily closed for comprehensive renovation and structural upgrading effective Monday, 21st July 2025, for a period of 6 weeks.”
Verdict
The evidence above proves that only the mortuary of Connaught will be closed temporarily, not the hospital itself. Therefore, the post by Hawanatu Konneh Network is misleading.
FactSpace Sierra Leone reached out to Hawanatu with our findings. She acknowledged the misleading nature of her post and has since edited it duly.
About the hospital
The facility is the principal adult referral hospital in Sierra Leone. It was opened in 1912 by the Duke of Connaught, Prince Arthur.
It went out of function for some time, but was later re-opened on May 5, 2006, by former President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah.
Today, Connaught Hospital serves as Sierra Leone’s main adult referral and teaching hospital. It provides a wide range of medical and surgical services, including emergency care, internal medicine, and specialist treatments. It also functions as a key training ground for medical students and healthcare professionals, playing a vital role in the country’s healthcare system.
