Government urged to expedite response to put an end to the Cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone
The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Network of Sierra Leone (WASH-Net) together with partners have noticed with dismay the Cholera outbreak which has claimed precious lives. With the official pronouncement of the outbreak by the Government of Sierra Leone, action needs to be taken to reverse the spread of this deadly crisis.
The action is part of our collective effort as a network of CSOs to raise the hygiene and sanitation profile and to demand strong government action to stop needless deaths from this preventable illness.
We continue to greatly acknowledge the vital contributions of the Government of Sierra Leone together with its partners like UNICEF, WHO, and others but more still needs to be done. We call on the Ministry to We feel there are still more to be done and hence we call on the ministry to continue to support the Blue Flag Volunteers who administer basic first aid and give out lifesaving rehydration salts to people suffering from severe diarrhea and cholera.
Members of the Network have visited various hospitals and have seen the need for urgent action needed by the government to save lives. In the current call for circulars by the Government of Sierra Leone, we have also noticed with disappointment that there are no separate budget lines for water and sanitation. This is despite our government recently having made commitments during the Sanitation and Water for All High Level Meeting in Washington, DC[1]in April.
Fully aware of the daunting tasks this pandemic poses on the Government of Sierra Leone, the Network stands in solidarity with all those who have lost their loved ones to this cholera outbreak.
To this end, we will continue monitoring progress and will strive to ensure that the government takes the necessary action to put an end to the current crisis.
With water among the MDG targets achieved, sanitation is still lagging far behind and we urge government and all partners to scale-up support for this very important but often neglected sector.
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[1] April 2012: Sierra Leone was represented by Hon. Oluniyi Robbin-Coker, Minister for Energy and Water Resources and Hon. Zainab H. Bangura, Minister for Health and Sanitation.
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