Freetown - Thirty foreign medical specialists arrived in Sierra Leone on Thursday where they will give free treatment in often complex and expensive cases, the health ministry said.

The doctors from the Saudi-based Physicians Across Continents (PAC) charity will give “free medical treatment to rank and file Sierra Leoneans for the next ten days,” health ministry spokesman Jonathan Abass Kamara told AFP.

“The doctors are from several countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Sweden, Egypt, Jordan and Malaysia and are led by a consultant in vascular surgery at the King Faisal Specialists Hospital, Dr Saad Ali Al-Garm,” he said.

“The specialists in blood vessel surgery, pediatricians, gynecologists and dentists will help to enhance the ministry's health care delivery service as they will intervene in areas where the average man would not be able to undertake the cost.”

PAC which was founded in 2004 is a humanitarian aid organisation operating under the auspices of the World Muslim League.

Eight days ago, 29 Cuban doctors arrived in Sierra Leone on a three year programme sponsored by the South African government.

Sierra Leone has some of the world's worst health indicators, with only one in four children living to see their fifth birthday, according to UN figures. In the developed world, this figure is one in 8,000.

Sierra Leone has one doctor for every 17,000 people and one nurse for every 8,000, according to health ministry statistics. - Sapa-AFP