By Aminata Phidelia Allie
A non-governmental research organisation in Sierra Leone has called on government and other stakeholders handling Ebola funds to ensure that more resources are allocated to areas worst hit by the disease.
The Institute for Governance Reform (IGR), in a report on lessons from the governance of Ebola in the Kenema District, reveals that the Nongowa Chiefdom is the most affected part of the country with 92% of Ebola cases in the district.
The report, titled "Making the three-day National Lockdown Meaningful: Six Lessons from the Governance of Ebola in Kenema" released on 14th September 2014, notes that the fight against the disease is not well targeted in areas of its highest concentration because "local authorities, especially local councils, are neglected as resources go directly to the District Health Teams, parliamentarians and civil society groups from Freetown".
As the country has gone past its 100th days in the Ebla fight, IGR notes that it is now too clear that the nation is fighting a war in which the enemy keeps gaining the upper hand.
In August, the report gores on, the health ministry allocated Le 542 million to the district health management team, whilst about Le 700 million was allocated to MPs. It says over Le 2bn has also been received by Freetown-based civil society groups and NGOs for interventions in Kenema, pointing out that most of the stated amount is not going to fight the disease in its frontline in Nongowa Chiefdom.
“The district council chairman and the mayor of Kenema city who are leading coordination in the district had no idea that such funds were released for the district Ebola response”, IGR observes.
According to the report, a review of previous visits by the former health minister shows she never met with the district Ebola task force headed by the district council, adding that it would be difficult for a lockdown to achieve its desired effect of curbing the spread of the disease if resources and programmes are not designed to empower and focus on areas overseen by local councils.
“The Ebola crisis has shown how politics of exclusion, over centralization, lack of transparency and neglect can facilitate the thriving of a deadly disease. It is therefore imperative for the country to minimize political considerations in its decisions on the Ebola Virus Disease response”, the organisation.
It pleads with the government to focus the country’s scarce resources on affected communities and personnel, adding that it should also try to build trust between citizens and government by creating a national inclusive process in the fight against the disease.
(C) Politico 16/08/14
