Musa Tarawally initiates Moyamba District Ebola Response Team
The Moyamba District Ebola Response Team (MoDERT) was created through the initiative of Hon. Musa Tarawally (in photo), in collaboration with other stakeholders (Members of Parliament, Paramount Chiefs, District Council Chairman, Councillors, Civil Society Organizations working in Moyamba, business people, Medical Team, Security Personnel, Descendants and well wishers of Moyamba) to respond to the threat and challenges of the Ebola virus in the Moyamba district and as a complement to the established government structure in the district.
MoDERT’s is collaborating with partners for best practice and coordinating with descendants of Moyamba District in country and the Diaspora, to ensure collective responsibility, patriotism and nationalism in the fight against this deadly disease.
MoDERT Purpose:
The main purpose of MoDERT is to ensure district commitment to the fight against Ebola by taking collective responsibility to support the local structures in eradicating Ebola in Moyamba district. There is no way Sierra Leone can succeed without public participation in this fight against Ebola.
Stakeholders must be responsible to citizens of Sierra Leone, especially during national crisis, to provide Community Leadership and resources; to ensure that collective efforts are provided to win the battle against Ebola.
People should set up a task force at District Community level, rather than people seeing this as a way or opportunity to make money.
Through this District initiative, Moyamba District has accepted the spread of Ebola in the district and as stakeholders taken the initiative to support the local district health structures by constructing an isolation/holding centre away from the government hospital, primarily to avoid stigmatising the main government hospital that provides health care to the people of the district. The isolation/holding centre will provide adequate facilities to host suspected patients with Ebola symptoms and serve as a holding centre for verification before confirmed cases are sent to treatment centres.
MoDERT is providing incentives for Paramount Chiefs and Councillors to work with contact tracers, to identify and report on suspected cases for referral in the isolation/holding centres and unknown deaths in the various chiefdoms for burial by the trained burial team.
MoDERT is also complementing government efforts in providing food for isolation and incentive to the burial team and nurses for effective performance.
Key achievements of MoDERT inaugural meeting :
- Funds raised from contributions and pledges from members amounted to – Le 102 million, 16 bags of rice, 15 mobile phones, one fever watcher machine.
- MoDERT has imported 20 fever watcher machines.
- A PA system was made available by Musa Tarawally for Ebola sensitization at no cost to the team.
- Resolutions/motions as bye laws were voted to support efforts in combating the spread of the Ebola virus.
- The Paramount Chiefs pledged to support MoDERT with 10% of local taxes collected in their chiefdoms to combat the spread of Ebola and enforce the bye laws in their chiefdoms in support of combating the spread of the disease.
- An isolation/holding site for suspected Ebola cases was identified and construction work is in progress.
- Food items for isolation and incentives for burial were provided to support the local District Health Management Team.
- Paramount Chiefs, Councillors and contact tracers are at work.
MoDERT sub committee:
Chairman-Hon. Musa Tarawally, Vice Chairman– Hon. Amadu Kanu, Secretaries– Hon. Gladys Gbappy-Brima and Hannah Y. Macfoy, Infrastructure-Hon. James Alie and Mr. Alie Lamin, Logistics-Hon. Edward Stile Jengo, Media– Bernard Dugba and Edmond Lavalie, Finance and Fundraising– Hon. Veronica K. Sesay and Hon. Mimi Soba Stephens.Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!
© 2014, https:. All rights reserved.
