HOW LONG Like many of us who knew her personally, my heart was broken by the news of the Ebola infection and consequent death of Dr. Olivette Buck. From the time I got to know her over 40 years ago, she has been a very steady and dedicated person. Quiet and unassuming, yet very knowledgeable and steady as a rock. Many people came to know her as a devoted teacher in her early life, one who became a great example for girls to emulate. She went in to become a dedicated doctor who cared for her patients and gave her life because of that care and concern. My friendship with her and her husband, Reverend Canon Jenner Buck was broken by my years of absence whilst I lived in the US. It was renewed in 2011 when I took my ailing mother to the Lumley Health Centre and encountered her as the resident physician at the hospital. Last year, I had the privilege of reliving my preaching at their wedding 30 years earlier, when I was asked to officiate at the ceremony of the renewing of the wedding vows at their thirtieth wedding anniversary. Those of us who grew up in Scripture Union and Youth For Christ in Sierra Leone have lost a dear Sister and friend and the medical profession in Sierra Leone has lost another valuable physician at a time when we cannot afford to lose any. All of what I have written is in tribute to a great person who has served well, as a Christian I know we will see her again. But what has broken my heart in this whole affair is just the vast amount of medical personnel who are dying in their effort to treat people who have been afflicted with this deadly virus, and we as a nation don’t seem to care that it is happening. By now every world medical agency knows about Ebola, what it is, how it is spread and what precautions to take by those who treat patients. We have seen US and British organizations spare no expenses to evacuate and treat their health workers who have been exposed to the virus. Just recently the Health Ministry in The Netherlands is said to be evacuating two doctors who came in contact with people who later became diagnosed with Ebola. They are taking them home as a precaution because the doctors were not wearing adequate personal protection when they made contact with the sick people. Are American and European lives worth more than African lives? First Dr. Khan, then Dr. Cole, Dr. Rogers and now Dr. Buck. Not to mention the hundreds of nurses and other medical staff whose lives have been lost in this fight against the Ebola virus. Whilst we were pleading and the debate was going on as to whether these doctors would be evacuated to get them adequate treatment, they have all died! How long are we going to let this go on? We are losing precious medical personnel and resources that we will need not only to fight the outbreak, but once the Ebola crisis is over and all the people who are now stepping up to help us have gone. How long is it going to take for us to train more doctors who could step into the vacuum that is being created with the death of these unique persons? Somebody needs to calculate how much it cost to evacuate the 3 American medical personnel from Liberia, it was not cheap. But the organizations they worked for considered it important to save their lives and make sure their families continued to enjoy having them around. Dr. Buck like all the other doctors, nurses and healthcare workers who have died left behind families and loved ones who need to be taken care of. Let them not have died in vain. It is time to do something substantial. Just like we do in honoring our war dead, we should honor them. 1. We need to have a permanent memorial for all healthcare workers who have died in this battle against Ebola. 2. We need to set up survivors’ benefits for the families of healthcare workers whose loved ones have died while serving. 3. We need to actually pay those people who are right now in the forefront of this fight against Ebola. We should not just make promises or talk about it. WE MUST PAY THEM! People have been giving monies and other resources, this is the time to use the funds and resources for what it was meant. Let us use the money to do well and show our appreciation for those who have been willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. God will hold every one of us responsible if we use money intended to fight this outbreak for personal use or to do other things. The eyes of the world are upon us, now is the time to rise up and show that we live in a LAND THAT WE LOVE!
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 02:48:46 +0000
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