President Koroma visits the Emergency Operational Centre at the WHO Complex

Freetown, 31 July 2014 – His Excellency President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone made a visit to the Ebola Emergency Operational Centre (EOC) work station at the World Health Organization Country Office in Sierra Leone on 31 July 2014. The President made the visit to assess readiness of the EOC which is the leading Coordination Structure in the Ebola outbreak response in Sierra Leone. Membership of the EOC comprised of heads of strategic local and international development agencies including government ministries, the United Nations agencies, MSF, and other partners. The EOC meets daily to discuss the critical coordination issues at the national level. The meetings are chaired by the Minister of Health and Sanitation and co-chaired by the WHO Country Representative.

President Koroma left together with Dr Mufunda and entourage at the work station

President Koroma addressing WHO staff members

This is the first visit of the President to the Centre since its establishment one month ago. The President said while at the work station that he would be participating in some of the meetings of the body in order to be fully informed and be directly involved in the discussions. According to the President the visit was part of his monitoring system to ensure that set targets and measures to improve the outcome of the Ebola response are achieved in time. The measures were announced on 30 July 2014 in a Presidential address to the nation on the Ebola outbreak in which the President made strategic declaration aimed at containing the spread of the disease. “These measures will initially be implemented for a period of 60 to 90 days, and subsequent measures will be announced as and when necessary” said the President in the address.

WHO Representative left front and the President right front

President Koroma right being briefed by WHO Representative Dr Mufunda

The President cited the EOC, in his last night address to the nation, as one of the structures instituted in fighting the outbreak, “Since the outbreak, my government, in collaboration with development partners has continued to mobilize and deploy resources and expertise nationally and internationally to fight the disease. I have been in contact with world leaders and global partners to meet the challenges; we have set up coordinating mechanisms with the World Health Organization and other international bodies; we set up an inter-ministerial committee to mobilize MDA (Ministries, Departments and Agencies) support activities…”

President Koroma and Dr Mufunda leading the entourage

Briefing the President, Dr Jacob Mufunda WHO Representative assured the President of the readiness of the EOC work station, stating that efforts would be made to keep the work station fully operational.

The 30 July 2014 Presidential address to the nation stated the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola which shall be chaired by the President “to champion the implementation” of the measured declared by the President. According to the address:

All epicenters of the disease will be quarantined;
The police and the military will give support to health officers and NGOs to do their work unhindered and restrict movements to and from epicenters;
Public meetings and gatherings will be restricted with the exception of essential meetings related to Ebola sensitization and education;
Active surveillance and house-to-house searches shall be conducted to trace and quarantine Ebola victims and suspects;
Parliament is recalled to promote MPs leadership at constituency levels;
New protocols for arriving and departing passengers have been instituted at the Lungi International Airport;
Cancellation of all foreign trips by ministers and other government officials except absolutely essential engagements.

These measures are meant for the President to continue to take direct control of the situation.

President Koroma departing the WHO premises

As part of the ongoing regional approach to coordinated response to the outbreak in the three countries, Heads of States of the Mano River Union (Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Ivory Coast) will meet in Conakry on Friday 1 August to discuss sub-regional strategies to defeat the disease.

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