President Koroma in his office at State House, as he recived cheque from Alimamy Koroma Minister of Youth Affairs
President Koroma is sitting at State House to collect bank slips and cheques from members of the public, as the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is spreading by the tick of the clock.
Abdul Karim Fonti Kabia a fearless journalist has this to say, "I cannot imagine President Barrack Obama sitting at the White House waiting to receive donation money in the middle of a disease outbreak in America. President Koroma! Ernest Koroma!! His Excellency sir!!! How many times did I call you sir?"
mysierraleoneonline.com sought the views of many Sierra Leoneans both home and abroad, grater majority of them hold the view that Sierra Leone has become a failed state under the leadership of President Koroma. They say that after seven years in office, his government has failed to build a workable national healthcare system. Critics say this failure is responsible for the government's poor handling of the Ebola outbreak.
State hospitals and health clinics across Sierra Leone are facing severe shortages of drugs that should be supplied under the free healthcare programme because practitioners are diverting them for private sale, investigations by the Sierra Leone Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) show.
Children
User fees for children under five and pregnant women were scrapped in 2010, allowing them to consult health practitioners and receive medication free of charge. Amid this, One in 21 women in Sierra Leone dies from pregnancy or other causes, while over 17 percent of children die before their fifth birthday, according to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). UNICEF-Sierra Leone on their Ebola Virus Disease Weekly Update (25-31 August 2014) shows that, “…Of the E bola confirmed cases around 22% are children (-7 years).
Pregnant Women
The outbreak of the EVD has worsened the situation. Pregnant women have resorted back to Traditional Births Attendance (TBAs) who do not have clinical environment to deliver pregnant women. Pregnant women are now dodging hospitals and clinics to deliver in the houses of TBA’s for fear of contracting the virus.
In 2003 an advocacy group was formed called Countdown to 2015 and Beyond. Countdown to 2015 is a global, multi-stakeholder movement that tracks 75 countries on their progress towards improving reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH). Countdown to 2015 launched their sixth report at the Partners’ Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa in June 2014. It tracks and reports on the coverage of evidence-based interventions used to improve maternal, newborn and child survival in 75 high priority countries, including Sierra Leone. Key to the Countdown to 2015 reports are the country profiles for each of the 75 priority countries. These profiles present the most recent and highest quality evidence available on a country’s progress in improving RMNCH and reaching the 4th and 5th Millennium Development Goals. Each profile features information related to measures of maternal, newborn, and child survival, nutritional status, coverage of key RMNCH interventions, and indicators on equity, policy, human resources, and financing.
Sierra Leone’s profile shows that mothers and babies are at great risk. An estimated 1100 mothers die for every 100,000 live births and, for every 1,000 live births, 50 babies die before their first birthday. Newborn deaths represent 27 per cent of all under-five deaths. Along the continuum of care, access to the health services for mothers and newborns still need greatly improving:
Less than one third of who want family planning can access it;
Three quarters of pregnant women attend at least four antenatal visits, this is an encouraging improvement;
Only 63 per cent of births are attended by a skilled attendant, this is an encouraging improvement;
Eighty per cent of infants are immunised against measles;
read more: Countdown to 2015 and Beyond: Fulfilling the Health Agenda for Women and Children. The 2014 Report: Sierra Leone Profile
Political Defense
Sylvia Olayinka Blyden who is Special Executive Assistant (SEA) to President Koroma has this to say “Like all of us, President Koroma has his human failings but it is indisputable that for now, he commands great influence over the hearts and minds of his local people. Any doubter should go up to State House and watch as billions of Leones from local individuals and entities roll in to help him fight Ebola. Who else in this entire country could have possessed the charisma to draw folks from all walks of life to troop to State House and give a public display of fiscal solidarity with our national cause against Ebola? Nobody else. And for that, let us thank God that it is President Koroma on that seat right now at this precise moment when we need funds to fight Ebola. As we await most of the funds yet to come from the international agencies, let me say come one and come all with your donations to State House. State House belongs to the people of Sierra Leone. In this national fight, the doors of State House are wide opened to receive you all. In actual fact, the President is taking less than one hour of his working day to receive donations. The rest of the day is spent in activities aimed at strategising and fighting Ebola. To all those who have contributed and are continuing to contribute, I salute you all. The doors of State House are wide opened to receive you all…”
Ebola Update
PRESS RELEASE
EBOLA OUTBREAK UPDATES---September 4, 2014
DISCHARGED CASES
• Total Survived and Released Patients = 259
NEW CASES
• New Confirmed cases = 28, as follows:
Kailahun = 14, Kenema = 2, Kono = 4
Bombali = 0, Kambia = 0 Koinadugu = 0, Port Loko = 1, Tonkolili = 2
Bo = 0, Bonthe = 0, Moyamba = 0, Pujehun = 1
Western Area Urban = 3, Western Area Rural = 1
CUMULATIVE CASES
• Cumulative confirmed deaths = 404
• Cumulative confirmed cases = 1,179, as follows:
Kailahun = 494, Kenema = 371, Kono =8
Bombali =44, Kambia =1, Koinadugu =0, Port Loko =76, Tonkolili = 19
Bo = 52, Bonthe = 1, Moyamba = 9, Pujehun = 8
Western Urban = 62, Western Rural = 34
• Probable cases = 37
• Probable deaths = 37
• Suspected cases = 81
• Suspected deaths = 11
IMPORTANT NOTE!
Koinadugu still remains the only district that has not registered confirmed cases of Ebola in Sierra Leone
IMPORTANT NOTE
Mr. Syl Renner, a Sierra Leonean living in the United States of America has donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation as his contribution towards the fight against the Ebola Virus Disease. The PPE, which was delivered to the ministry through DHL, was received by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Brima Kargbo.
IMPORTANT NOTE
The Presidential Task Force on Communications for Ebola Response wishes the general public and members of the press to know that it will begin hosting daily press briefings to inform the press and the public regularly on efforts the government is making to end the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Outbreak in the country. The press briefing will be held at the SLAJ headquarters on Campbell Street at 2:00 PM Mondays to Thursdays and at 3:00 PM on Fridays. The maiden press briefing will be held on Tuesday September 9, 2014 at 2:00 PM at SLAJ Headquarters.
IMPORTANT NOTE
Ebola Emergency Account Details:
Account Number (Leones): 003001118285030109
Account Number (USD): 003001014138030145
The Ebola Emergency Account is audited by Chartered Accountants from the KPMG Accounting and Auditing Firm at the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC)
All Cash Donations are deposited at the Ebola Emergency Account managed by the EOC, and kind donations (Medicines, Equipment, Supplies, etc.) are held at the Government Medical logistics stores, Freetown, by the Ebola Logistics team, for processing, storage and equitable distribution as required throughout the country.
ISSUED BY:
The Ebola Viral Situation Report, Ministry of Health and Sanitation
For more information, please contact:
District level: District Health Management Team
National level: Directorate of Disease Prevention and Control,
E.mail: dpcsurveillance@gmail.com
Website: www.health.gov.sl
Mobile: 117 (Toll free)
With all these, one would say the situation in Sierra Leone is bit encouraging, on the other hand, neighboring country Liberia are asking for the resignation of their President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
My advice to President Koroma is for him to stand up and take more leadership role to fight the Ebola Virus as he stood up to win 2007/2012 elections. Mr. President, you would not win the fight against Ebola by sitting at State House. This press holds the view that you didn’t seat at your party’s office to win the 2007/2012 elections. You travelled to the length and breadth of the country the result came out positive. You can do the same for Ebola. You can do the same for Ebola, I repeat. You are a man with wisdom and agendas. You came up Agenda 4 Change 2007-2012- now is Agenda 4 Prosperity. Don't allow Ebola to kill the Prosperity Agenda Sir.
