At a recent press conference President Ernest Bai Koroma was heavy in criticising the international community for their slow response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. With the Chinese sending in medicine, equipment and personnel, Cuba sending 160 health workers and Britain planning to deploy military medical team to set up treatment centres and personnel to run them, has the president had a change of tone against the world community? A question Umaru Fofana put to him.
President Koroma: Well I see a lot of efforts being put in to the fight now. I must commend the international community. They are not only in the fight but also involved in the preparatory work. The UK has made a commitment to support the establishment of the treatment centre at Kerry Town, the Chinese are going to support the establishment of a treatment centre at Jui and the Americans have increased their presence through the Centres for Disease Control in the fight against Ebola. I would say the presence has improved and I hoped that we will continue in that collaborative manner to ensure that the next couple of weeks we would be able to contain Ebola.
Politico: And do you think this brings the end of Ebola any closer?
President Koroma: Yes, because the issues of fear, ignorance and misinformation are behind us. People are now aware of what to do and what not to do and I think with that, with the incoming international support I am sure that we will get Ebola behind us very soon. I am looking at getting the country back to normalcy by December.
Politico: December, the end of Ebola in Sierra Leone?
President Koroma: Well, that is what [hesitates] getting the country back to normalcy.
Politico: What does that mean sir?
President Koroma: It means that we should be able to have contained Ebola not completely eliminating it but containing it, getting people back to the normal course of activities and also getting government back to its normal course of implementation of development programmes that we were busy implementing before the outbreak in May.
Politico: And the end of Ebola you reckon is within the six-month period given by MSF and other agencies?
President Koroma: Well, I think it should be earlier than that. With all that is happening the efforts that are being put in place and the awareness that we now have out there amongst our people I am sure we will get it sorted out before the end of six months.
(C) Politico 18/09/14
