President Koroma Assures Emergency Hospital

By State House Communications Unit

President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma on Monday 13^th October assured the Emergency Hospital delegation of his continued commitment in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus.

This commitment came in when the officials of the Emergency Hospital asked for the use of the proposed site of the National Olympic Committee. (NOC) at Goderich.

President Koroma told the delegation that he will immediately engage and follow up with the president of the National Olympic Committee and give the appropriate feedback on the state of readiness on the identified piece of land. He further expressed the urgent need for laboratories and treatment centres at this crucial time saying that the waiting time for laboratory results has to be improved on to at least 4 hours, which he said will be helpful to halt the spread of the virus.

“We need these facilities today as there is no time to waste,” President Koroma noted. “If we can increase our capacity of handling over five hundred samples a day; it will be helpful to handle the pressure. 48 hours is not good as some will get infected while waiting. We should maintain the 4 hours and work on improving it further.”

The Executive Director of the Emergency Hospital Mr. Gino Strada informed the President of their Italian partnership and collaboration to start both a treatment centre and a laboratory as soon as possible. He also stated that a lab will be constructed while the construction of a treatment centre will be ongoing.  Mr. Gino Strada therefore called on the president to engage the National Olympic Committee for the immediate use of the proposed piece of land as the country is in dire need to address the challenges faced in the fight against Ebola. “We only need the green light from you so that work will start as soon as possible,” he said.

The Director of Humanitarian Programmes at the Emergency Hospital, Rosella Miccio, said that the Italian partners will provide the necessary training to improve the overall capacity of the country. She went on to state that a meeting is scheduled to take place between the NOC and the Emergency Hospital to finalized the arrangement for the land that will see the immediate construction of both the treatment centre and the lab.

The Minister of Health and Sanitation, Dr Abu Bakarr Fofana informed President Koroma that out of the 700 bed provision from the British, 200 beds will be positioned in Freetown.