News

By Kemo Cham

Sierra Leone will not shutdown its borders despite the risk of a spillover of the Ebola virus disease from its neighbors – Guinea and Liberia, Minister of Health and Sanitation (MoHS), Dr Abu Bakarr Fofanah, has said. He said last week that border closure was not the right answer to the existing threat of the epidemic on the three neighboring countries, citing the economic implications given the cross border trade among the three countries and their “political brotherhood”.

By Kemo Cham

A partnership between Sierra Leone’s largest maternity hospital, the Princess Christian Maternity Hospital (PCMH), and the Johns Hopkins University will help to tackle the dire state of maternal morbidity and mortality in the country, health officials disclosed last week.

The partnership is aimed at strengthening Sierra Leone’s health system and build human capacity in women’s reproductive health, they said.

The hospital said a six-man delegation, comprising doctors and nurses, was in the country as part of an assessment tour.

By Kemo Cham

The Sierra Leone Government last week directed that all health facilities begin providing free health care for Ebola survivors. The directive came after a noisy demonstration staged by the survivors complaining neglect.

Hundreds of survivors: men, women and children, on Monday 4 April, descended on State House holding placards with messages drawing attention to their plight.

Empty schools in Kono, following schools reopening

By Septimus Senessie in Kono

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay 

Leaders of protesting Ebola survivors, who converged before state house in in Freetown, have told Politico that President Ernest Bai Koroma has promised to release some Le1.9 billion it has set aside to address their growing concerns.

Yusuf Kabba, leader of the survivors, said government officials whom they met with at State House, had agreed to make available the said money as early as this month.

By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay

Opposition politician and presidential aspirant, John Oponjo Benjamin, has casted doubt on the authenticity of the recently released provisional census results.

Mr Benjamin said the results were flawed and argued that this was set to be so from the unset of the process when the government refused to listen to opposition concerns.

By Hassan Ibrahim Conteh

Don Bosco Fambul is planning to construct a therapeutic centre designed for the treatment of mental disorders related to the effect of the Ebola virus disease, the children’s charity has said.

An official told Politico that the center will be built at Russell Village which is just a few miles from Waterloo in the Western Rural District.