President Koroma Hails Health Workers

President Ernest Bai Koroma has commended health workers and volunteers at the front line for their ‘relentless efforts’ in the fight against the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country.

Speaking in an exclusive interview on Star Radio, President Koroma said the health workers have put up a brave fight under difficult circumstances and have fought so hard even at a point where some of them would have to get themselves expose to the disease and contract it out of no fault of theirs.

The commendation from President Koroma comes shortly after strike action by health workers across the country for their backlog incentive pay.

The President assured the health workers and volunteers that he would ensure that all their backlog incentives were paid and appealed to them to continue with their efforts in the fight to contain the virus.

“I am appealing that you please continue with your honorable efforts in this fight and stop resorting to strike actions with the assurance from me that all your backlogs will be paid,” appealed the President.

President Koroma, who has been spending most of his weekends touring the country admonishing Paramount Chiefs and traditional leaders to redouble their efforts at community level in breaking the chain of transmission, also appealed to members of the public to exhibit attitudinal change and discontinue some of their traditional practices, especially burial rites, that have accounted for over seventy percent of the mode of transmission according to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.

“Even if we have all the treatment centres running if we do not break the chain of transmission our compatriots will continue to die,” said the President, and appealed further for the avoidance of certain traditional practices that are helping the virus thrive.

According to the latest statistics from the National Ebola Response Centre (NERC) over 6,000 people have been confirmed ebola positive and more than one thousand have been discharged as survivors.

And officially more than 1,583 people have died from the disease in Sierra Leone, including renowned doctors, since May this year.

Editing by Ahmed Sahid Nasralla (De Monk).

Credit: Development and Economic Journalists Association Sierra Leone (DEJA -SL).

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