By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
An anonymous person has donated 3,000 pieces of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to the Sierra Leone Government as part of its campaign against the Coronavirus pandemic.
The donor is a client of Lawyer Rowland Wright, who presented the materials - full isolation gowns – to officials of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.
The presentation was done on Thursday at the Central Medical Stores in Freetown.
Lawyer Wright said the donation came about as a result of an appeal he made to some of his clients in the wake of reports that medical professionals might go on strike due to concerns about their personal safety.
Wright said: “One of my clients who prefers anonymity was particularly interested to donate PPEs to medical workers after hours of engagement with him on the phone. These are full isolation gowns, which are highly sought after all over the world now.”
He added: “I will be ashamed to beg for myself, but I will never be ashamed to beg for my country.”
Whiles expressing the government’s gratitude to Mr Wright and his client, Minister of Health and Sanitation, Professor Alpha Tejan Wurie, urged other Sierra Leoneans to emulate the gesture and support the country’s efforts against the pandemic.
“You have done a fantastic job for the people of this country. I want to call on all Sierra Leoneans to emulate such and step up,” Prof. Wurie said.
The major beneficiaries of the PPE suits are healthcare workers: doctors, nurses, and other medical practitioners.
Medical professionals have raised concern in the past about nonavailability of safety gears whiles they are in the front line dealing with the Coronavirus.
The President of the Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association (SLMDA), Dr. Delwin Findlay, told Politico that this donation would put to bed their concerns for now.
“With these gowns, both doctors and patients will be safe. Doctors will no longer go home and risk infecting their families. For now our concerns have been put to bed, even though we may need to replenish because we have no idea how long the virus might last with us,” Dr Findlay said.
Solomon Jamiru, spokesperson for the Emergency Operations Center, who was also present during the donation, described it as a “very timely donation.”
Copyright © 22/05/20 Politico Online
