Lokomasama: NERC boss calls for concerted efforts in Ebola fight

Commentary

By Hassan Bruz.

The desire of President Ernest Bai Koroma and all well- meaning Sierra Leoneans together with development partners to see the eradication of the Ebola virus out of the country without any further delay is now primordial.

The President has not only ensured the provision of all the basic support needed to fight Ebola, but has even provided his physical presence in all the districts in a bid to help people realise the immense havoc the virus has caused this nation and for them to see the need to stop its spread by simply adhering to the dos and don’ts as prescribed by health professionals. Indeed the virus has continued to spread to new places thereby claiming more and more lives in the country.

The fact is that people are not doing the right things expected of them in spite of all the efforts so far marshalled by government and its development partners.

This was confirmed in a recent meeting of herbalists, Sub Chiefs, Village Heads and other stakeholders drawn from Kaffu Bullom and Lokomasama- the two hot spot chiefdoms in the northern district of Port Loko.

In that meeting, people confessed that they have not only been accepting strangers into their homes, but that most of them had engaged in herbal medication when they got sick and that they have also been participating in unsafe burials. This confession clearly creates room for a review of the whole process if the Ebola war is to be won by President Koroma and his government.

One key person that is charged with such a responsibility is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Ebola Response Centre- Retired Major Palo Conteh (centre in photo). He has been so much perturbed by the fluctuating Ebola figures from Port Loko district that he had cause to instruct his Chief of Staff Brigadier General D T O Tarluva to lead a fact finding team to the district.

The Chief of Staff in turn, has been travelling the length and breadth of the district, conducting consultative meetings with Paramount Chiefs and other traditional authorities on the possible way out of this unbearable mess.

Brigadier General Tarluva and Madam Yvonne- the Director of Planning at the National Ebola Response Centre, have been to almost all the Ebola hot spot areas in the district particularly Tigbonor and Royaima in the Lokomasama and Kaffu Bullom chiefdoms respectively.

Although quite a good number of the eleven chiefdoms in the district have been scoring zero figures in the past several weeks, people are nonetheless upset with the fluctuating figures particularly from the chiefdoms of Kaffu Bullom and Lokomasama.

This has been so perturbing in recent days that it attracted and even compelled the attention of the Chief Executive Officer who eventually had cause to lead a high powered delegation to Lokomasama following reports that people in the chiefdom were still involved in community and unsafe systems of burial.

Palo’s entourage consisted of the commander of the British forces in Sierra Leone- Brigadier Hughes, the Chief of Operations –Kate Foster and the Marshall of the Head of Joint Inter Taskforce, was received by the Chief of Staff – Brigadier General Tarluva, the District Ebola Response Centre Coordinator- Hon. Raymond Kabia, the Port Loko District Medical Officer –Dr. Adikali Alpha Kamara, Mick Robson and John Raine- both from the Ebola Command and Control Centre in Port Loko.

In his welcome address, Paramount Chief Bai Marrow Angbathor 11 of Lokomasama informed the team that his chiefdom is the largest in the district with a population of over 100,000 inhabitants.

He said most of the ugly things said about his chiefdom were untrue and that his people have been doing their best to get rid of the virus from the chiefdom adding that they were even preparing to proceed on a two-week surge to enable them conduct a house to house search for all Ebola suspected cases.

His statement was buttressed by the District Coordinator – Hon. Raymond Kabia who said all the various sections in the district were now ready to fight and win the war against Ebola. Similar sentiments were expressed by the Section Chief of Jurica –Pa Alhajie Alimamy Dura Moudou Kanu, Councillor Adikali Katherrnah of Komrabia Section and Ya Alimamy Pass ar Die who represented the Section Chiefs Youths and Women’s Wing respectively.

The Chief Executive Officer –Retired Major Palo Conteh in his keynote address thanked the people for the massive turn out in spite of the short notice which, he observed, was an indication of their resolve to eradicate Ebola from the area.

He said they were there because of the fluctuating Ebola figures from the chiefdom, and to sort out ways through which the spread could be stopped and have the virus completely eradicated from the district. He stressed on the need for them to maximise efforts largely because the disease has stagnated the development of the entire nation.

Retired Major Palo Conteh said even though the outbreak occurred at an unexpected time, yet the disease could have by now been put under proper control if people had adhered to the dos and don’ts prescribed by health professionals.

He used the opportunity to brief the gathering on the successes of the peoples of the South and Eastern regions where the disease actually started. He said even though it was so serious, the spread has long been put under control as people were now recording zero cases. He said that had been achieved because the people in those areas resolved to collectively tackle the problem.

The Chief Executive Officer singled out the Western Area, Port Loko, Kambia and Bombali as the prevailing turbulent zones in the fight. He said the best thing a community, district or region could do in the eradication of the disease is when it continues to record zero Ebola cases.

Palo added that such a status can only be achieved by the people of Port Loko when they stop allowing strangers into their communities, continue to report any Ebola suspected cases, ensure that sick persons are conveyed to Holding Centres without delay and refrain from either the washing or the unsafe burial of dead bodies.

He encouraged all to continue their support for the Paramount Chief to end the spread of the virus in the chiefdom in order for them to be able to go back to their normal ways of life, and for the President Koroma led government to as well continue with its agenda for development and prosperity. He also stressed the need for collective and concerted efforts by all in the fight against the dreadful disease.