Mabesseneh Hospital plays leadership role on Ebola response
Saint John of God Hospital (Mabesseneh Hospital) at Lunsar Town, Port Loko District, has with support from Cordaid Netherlands and in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and sanitation has in a week long programme organized training and sensitization on the deadly Ebola outbreak. The event targeted Religious Leaders, Heads of Institutions, health workers, drivers, bike riders, youth groups, opinion leaders an and traditional leaders from the community. The end of the week-long activities coincided with the opening of the Mabesenneh Hospital, which was shut down wrongfully after some misconceptions and misinformation that some nurses died of the Ebola virus. Report states that this did not stop the Hospital management to carry on with its Good Samaritan activities through education and sensitization in other to save the lives of the people in the community it’s operate.
Saturday 6th September 2014 saw the training, sensitization and education of the Ebola virus targeting junior workers from various Health Centers, Hospital, and Peripheral Health Units in the Lunsar Town and its environ. Participants include cleaners, launderers, gatemen, drivers etc; who were assembled at the Mabesseneh Multipurpose Hall. The objective of the training was to equip health workers in the Marampa Chiefdom with basic skills in infection prevention and control practices and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) in providing care to all sick persons in the respective health facilities.
The Hospital management also thought it wise that training the various groups will not yield the required dividend if materials are not provided to facilitate their day to day work. It was against this background the following Ebola Prevention items were distributed: packets of apron, gallons of chlorine, bottles of detol solution, boxes of disposable gloves, peers of boots, bottles of liquid soap and dustbins. The targeted beneficiaries are: Konike Clinic, Lunsar Health Center, Baptist Eye Hospital, Arab Clinic, Marampa PHUs and the Sierra Leone Police Force.
The events were facilitated by Madam Isha Daramy Kabia, who happens to be a veteran nurse from the United Kingdom with international recognition for her diligence and commitment to the nursing profession.
Brother Michael Koroma is the Head of Mission at Mabesseneh Hospital and Medical Coordinator. He commended Madam Isha Daramy Kabia for taking the leadership role in hammering home Ebola prevention methods. He noted that the training will create great impact in health workers, and that it will prevent them from contacting the Ebola virus whilst they are on duty. “This will enable them prepare well tyo deal with suspected cases,” he said, suggesting that the Ministry of Health take the bold step to integrate the Mabesseneh Hospital into the health delivery system, and also the District Health Management Team should decentralized all catchment areas to Mabesseneh Hospital so that it provides quality services to the wider community.
Brother Koroma also admonished the Health Ministry to provide the required materials and other support to health workers in the Marampa Chiefdom so as to enable them discharges their services effectively and efficiently.
Madam Isha Daramy Kabia stated that everyone is important in the fight against Ebola because all are related one way or another to the health sector of the country. “We must show care to infected persons and prevent each other from contacting the virus,” she said. She admonished participants not to feel like underdogs, but must be loyal and committed in their various fields so as to save lives. She admonished those that received the Ebola Prevention items to use them wisely and for their intended purpose.
Chief Trainer, Sister Christiana Conteh described the hospital as taking the lead during the test of time to train health workers. “This training will only be successful when all the required equipments are provided to the participants,” she said, adding that this will reduce cross infection from one unit in the hospital to another.
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