By Bampia James Bundu
Coordinator at the Hastings Treatment Centre in Freetown, Dr. Santigie Sesay, has revealed that they have recorded a 60% success in survivor rate since the centre opened about 2 months ago.
The centre, operated by Sierra Leoneans, on Tuesday discharged 63 Ebola survivors, its fifth set, bringing the total number of discharged cases to 228 “contrary to what other facilities have been producing.”
Dr. Sesay explained that the centre had already admitted and treated 404 Ebola patients since its establishment in September. Out of that number 115 had die, he said adding that 35 out of the 115 death cases happened before the patients got admitted into the facility and that 228 people had so far survived the virus there.
“Six out of every 10 patients admitted at the facility survived the virus as opposed to other centres that lose more patients. I can proudly say that our facility is far better than other centres in the country because our strategies are swift,” the coordinator stated.
He commended the nurses for “standing firm and working tirelessly to ensure that Ebola patients are given the required care and treatment they deserve. We now record deaths per week, as compared to days before now,” he recalled.
He encouraged all survivors to follow the necessary precautions given to them by the doctors before their discharge and to also serve as ambassadors to others while promoting the “ABC method”.
Head of military doctors at the facility, Capt. Dr. Komba Songu M’briwa, stated that they had followed the standard procedures set by doctors since they were deployed at the Hastings Treatment Center.
He said they would be setting up a 100% military Ebola centre at the Police Training School, so as to give added support to civilian doctors. He advised survivors to abstain from sex, avoid bodily contact and avoid visiting homes of people. “Collectively we can tackle the spread of Ebola in the country,” he assured.
A survivor, a staff midwife attached to the King Harman Road Hospital, Adiatu Pujeh, explained that she contracted the virus when she stopped a 12-year-old girl from nodding off a chair back at her duty station. She said she had crossed her leg in front of the chair on which the child was seated to stop her from hitting the ground, adding that the girl had then laid on her lap, which led to her contracting the disease.
“It was a challenging moment for me when I learnt that I have been diagnosed with Ebola,” Pujeh said, thanking God and the doctors at the facility “who stood by us and gave us hope to live again.”
She applauded the doctors for their hard work and dedication towards saving lives and called on other survivors to be cautious even though their systems were now immune to the virus, adding that they should take good care of their health.
Delivering the keynote address, Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Sia Nyama Koroma, thanked health workers at the Hastings Ebola Centre for their “tremendous job in treating Ebola patients at a faster pace.” She promised that the survivors would be empowered by the government to serve as goodwill ambassadors in propagating Ebola messages in various communities and homes across the country.
He implored citizens to accept the survivors back into their communities as they were now Ebola negative.
“We will not tolerate people who stigmatize Ebola survivors. Actions will be taken against you if you are found wanting. Treat them as your sisters and brothers,” she encouraged the gathering.
© Politico 13/11/14
