CATER TO HEALTH WORKERS

I was on my way to a program but had to pass through a community in order to get to the venue of the event. As I passed through the community, I heard some voices of people that sounded like they were crying. As I got a little closer, it became glaring that the voices I heard from a far were  voices of cries. Even though the message was not very clear, but I managed to understand  the cries of the lady that  lay prostrated to the ground. She cried ” why did you leave us……we did not see you in your illness……I did not even see your corps to say goodbye….your grave will not be identified”. When I enquired as to the reasons of the sorrow, I was apprised that the lady at the point of affliction had just lost her two children to the fatal Ebola Disease. They were nurses working at health centers in one of the epic centers of the disease. I did not get to know the medium of  their infection. But one will surmise that they were infected via their various places of work or by one of them giving care to the other (infected) at home. As I stood far from the happenings, I saw grief, anguish, and sadness in the bereaved mother’s eyes and in the faces of family members and sympathizers. This immediately rolled down tears from my eyes. My tears came down so profusely that I had  to reach for my handkerchief to wipe the tears.

As I left the scene and continued walking to the program, I began to contemplate  on the  heroic and passionate efforts of  the many health workers that are late and also those that continue to save lives. At this point in Liberia’s history, health workers have become like soldiers fighting on the frontline. In this case, they are fighting against enemies that are invisible and attack in mysterious ways. Their front-lines are  the hospitals, clinics, and health care centers. As I furthered my steps, I almost hit a man unconsciously due to the thoughts that were running through my head and the sad experience I had just had.

Consequently, a conscious and caring individual will ask about the government and other institutions contributions or efforts towards health workers. Are they being given protective gears, good compensation and life insurance as they help to save lives in the wake of the Ebola Disease? If the answer is in the negative, that I know it is, how do we expect health workers to continue the fight against this disease. I will not like to compare Liberia with other affected countries but Nigeria has just confirmed seven cases and they are discussing on improving health workers’ compensation and life insurance. Additionally, The Nigerian Government has allocated an initial amount of 11 Million United States Dollars to curbing the disease. I commend Liberia’s late efforts to fighting this disease. The government has allocated 5 Million United States Dollars and other measures including training health workers, quarantining areas highly affected by the virus, to fighting the disease. Like many pundits have asserted, if these interventions had been made by the confirmation of the virus in Guinea, more than 200 persons could not have been victims to the epidemic. But the late efforts are still acceptable to avoiding further infections and deaths. Additionally, the efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise funds for the West African Region , the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to send 50 health experts to the region, the intervention of Samaritan Purse and Medicin San Frontier (MSF) and other international partners are all commendable in the fight against this epidemic. 

The issue of Ebola has become a global emergency and the aid of everyone around the world is highly needed.  Let us spread the message of prevention and aid and pray for those in isolation and treatment centers. Please, do not forget to remember the hero and heroines (health practitioners) that have lost their lives and continue to save lives. I hope the United States  can approve the use of the experimental drug to further enhance the efforts of Tekmia as advances have been made to producing an Ebola drug (TMK-Ebola). I pray that Ebola will be KICKED OUT  in the matter of days.