By Hassan Ibrahim Conteh
The Sierra Leone Association of Ebola Survivors (SLAES) has expressed dissatisfaction over the slow response of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) in the provision of free health care facilities for its members.
The government had promised survivors free healthcare services after it emerged that they are faced with series of health related problems as a result of the virus infection.
SLAES was formed by Ebola survivors to speak for their members, especially within the framework of the Post Ebola Recovery Plan sponsored largely by the international community.
The organisation’s national president,Yusif Kabba, told Politico that SLAES members were yet to receive “serious medical attention” from MoHS for the post Ebola health complications. Kabba sounded doubtful of the government’s commitment to fulfil the promise made to provide them with free medical treatment.
“We are on the swing without destination,’’ he said.
The SLAES president added that Ebola survivors foot the bill for the medical services they receive from the various hospitals since they were given only prescription notes by government health facilities.
“We have never benefitted any medical service from government,” he emphasized. He however singled out both local and foreign non-governmental organisations and civil society organisations including the National Eye Care Campaign, GOAL, US Centre for Diseases Control (CDS) among others, which had been providing medical assistance for them.
Quite recently, the SLAES president said, Ebola survivors were subjected to a study conducted by MoHS to ascertain how long the Ebola virus would stay in the Semen and body fluids of survivors. During the study, Kabba explained, Ebola survivors underwent “rigorous test” to dispel the doubt that they would infect other people.
However, the SLAES president said joint pains, skin rashes, and deformity of the eyes as well as menstrual problems for women and impotency for men, among others, were major concerns for them.
The organization is also unhappy about the alleged attitude of some landlords who allegedly raise house rents with the feeling that they were benefitting from the Post Ebola Recovery.
As a way of salvaging the situation of the Ebola survivors, the Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs developed the “livelihood Funding Support Project” for Ebola survivors. Its implementation is scheduled to commence this month. Under this project, each survivor should receive Le 500, 000. But Philip Foray Koroma, the deputy secretary of SLAES, was very doubtful as to whether the project will materialise after announcement of the dismissal of the minister and deputy minister of ministry.
“The [former] minister [Moijueh Kaikai] had been fast tracking most of our programs and now we are worried whether the new minister will do the same,” he said.
(C) Politico 15/03/16
