By Prince J Musa in Kenema
Vice President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, has praised the efforts of the District Emergency Operations Center (DEOC) in Kenema for their gains in fighting COVID-19.
Vice President Jalloh said gains made in the district should be shared with other DEOCs across the country.
The DEOC in Kenema has one of the most strict quarantine regulations. Coupled with its treatment facility and its experience in dealing outbreaks and logistical challenges, the Vice President noted, Kenema is an example of good work done.
He said: “From what I have gathered from Kenema, I must say I am satisfied with the work of Kenema DEOC in the fight. They have faced a lot of challenges, but they have shown tangible initiative to surmount some of those difficult challenges”.
“Those good initiatives learnt from Kenema DEOC need to be applied to other district, since they have demonstrated good leadership,” he added.
The district has recorded 34 cases as of Saturday, 30th May.
The district has taken the initiative to implement radical steps like banning the transportation of corpses from one village or town to another.
All these measures are being enforced with the help of local authorities like Paramount chiefs.
A month before the outbreak hit the country, Kenema reintroduced some by-laws that were used during the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic and also made hand washing compulsory in all chiefdoms, among many other measures.
Jalloh said his engagement with the DEOC was meant to give him “access to how the districts coordinators are coping with issues, their relationship with local leaders and local councils in the fight against the corona virus, in their respective localities.”
The Vice President used his visit to call for continued collaboration among all stakeholders.
“Each and every partner is important in this fight, especially paramount chiefs, media and other development partners,” Jalloh said, adding: “The district coordinators are the center pivot in this fight and they have to ensure that those partners work effectively through proper coordination.”
VP Juldeh also used his visit to re-echo President Bio’s call for the use of facemasks.
“President has appealed continuously to people for the use of facial masks and the use of face masks within public places should be adhered to by everybody,” he said.
The government of Sierra Leone has announced that from June 1st, punitive actions could be taken against people who don’t use face masks in public.
Umaru Vandi Kondovoh, who is the COVID-19 coordinator in the district, urged the government to look into conditions of service for DEOC members.
He said all eight pillars under the DEOC structure were still struggling for an office space.
The District Medical Officer, Dr Donald Grant, said their success hasn’t come with significant challenges.
"Staff working at Lassa unit have been transferred to COVID-19 treatment center, because of their experience in handling hemorrhagic fever. We still need additional staff, since the laboratory is running twenty four hours," he said.
Dr Grant also said they needed more Personal Protective Equipment for health workers in the district.
"We need support for case investigation such as mobility for surveillance team, as it is challenging to go to hard to reach communities when there is a case," he added.
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