Sierra Leone News: Trust important to win Ebola fight -Dr. Gao Fu dcccAt the Lungi International Airport last Saturday prior to his departure to China, Dr. Gao Fu, Deputy Director General of the Chinese Center for Disease Control (CCDC) told Awoko that the biggest problem affecting the Ebola fight is the lack of trust. He said he was in Sierra Leone for two months and learnt a lot about the Ebola virus and why Sierra Leone is finding it very difficult to contain and eliminate the virus. “There are many organizations and agencies working in Sierra Leone, but most of them don’t trust the government and the local people. This is not good for the Ebola fight,” Dr. Gao warned. He said the government should be in charge of the Ebola fight and all other agencies and organizations should work in consonance with the government. He said that during his two months sojourn in the country, he observed that almost all the international agencies and organisations involved in the Ebola fight are operating independent from the government which is why, he noted, “there appears to be so much chaos and discordance in terms of application, delivery and service in general,” he maintained. He said even the people of Sierra Leone don’t seem to trust their government which is why they are continuing to deny the existence of the virus disease and are refusing to comply with preventive measures. “Government must in this regard stamp its authority, own the fight and take appropriately decisive decisions and actions that will ensure an end to this scourge,” the Chinese doctor intimated. The Deputy Director of the Chinese CDC called for cooperation among and between organisations involved in the Ebola fight and urged them to work steadfastly with the Government of Sierra Leone as a team. “When we (Chinese) came to the country work on the Ebola outbreak, we came directly to the government and we are operating under the aegis of the government and we are ensuring that whatever we do is in tandem with the objectives of the government,” Dr. Gao submitted, adding that such cooperation and support extends even to medical supplies to the country. “When we send aid supplies, we send them directly to the government and what we want to give to WHO, WFP, UNICEF etc., we do so directly to the organisation concerned and notify the government and President about what has been given out and to who. “We are here to work with the government and people of Sierra Leone and not to work against them or work in isolation,” he stated. He however called on government to do more to avoid health workers from striking and that they should be more effective in coordinating the efforts of all those working with them. “In Liberia, we are amicably working with the Liberian government and the US medical team to the point that Liberia that was worse with the Ebola outbreak is now doing very well and their new case figure is dropping considerably. The coordination you find in Liberia and Guinea is very lacking in Sierra Leone, he pointed out, noting that the reason for this is the lack of trust in government by those coming to help the country. “My humble submission is that, if they are here to help Sierra Leone, they must sit together with the government, think together and decide on a way forward together. They can even advice government on the right things to do and to ensure that they are done properly. It is the absence of this that is causing the virus to rage on as if there is no end in sight,” Dr. Gao stated. He said, one way to combat the virus is to directly involve communities and their leaders including the Paramount Chiefs, Sub Chiefs and Twn/Village headmen. He said these should be capacitated with logistics and given the authority to take and act on decision they think can break the chain of transmission. He said currently, China has 11 Ebola personnel engaged in the training nurses to work at community level so that they can provide support to community leaders. He assured Sierra Leoneans that the new 75 Chinese medics that have arrived will definitely do better to help eradicate the virus. He appeal to the government that if they are short of funds, let them talk to the Chinese government to help them because China is a very good friend of Sierra Leone and they will not stand by and see the country continues to deteriorate medically, socially and economically. He admonished Sierra Leoneans to have trust in their government, listen to what the health officials say and to report to the nearest hospital for treatment whenever someone is sick. He also warned against touching of people who are sick and the washing of dead bodies. He encouraged them to effectively use the emergency call line 117 whenever there is a case of sickness or death. “This is the fastest way someone can contract the virus-touching. When someone is sick and has shown signs or symptoms, he or she becomes contagious and when a person dies the corpse becomes highly contagious because the Ebola virus does not live long on dead tissues,” the Chinese doctor admonished. He expressed hope that the government will take the correct decision to take ownership of the Ebola fight and to end the menace soonest. Meanwhile the entire 63-man Chinese medics returned home negative of the Ebola virus because according to the team leader, Dr. Gao, they had been following all precautions and preventive measures. He however wished his compatriots safety and urged them to do their utmost to end the Ebola menace in the country. Wednesday November 19, 2014 .
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 03:37:34 +0000
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