By SIRAJU BAH :
The Minister of Information and Communications, Hon. Alhaji Alpha Kanu together with the Special Adviser to His Excellency the President, Hon. Ibrahim Ben Kargbo has over the weekend made a conducted tour on the ongoing construction of a 90 bed facility that will be used as a holding and treatment centre for Ebola cases in the Port Loko District to assess the progress of the work and to provide the necessary support for a speedy conclusion of the project.
The Minister who has been on the forefront in accelerating the process of constructing the facility said that the project, a local initiative and the brainchild of the President, is meant to help address both suspected and confirmed laboratory Ebola cases in the District by providing the required immediate response to tackle the dreaded disease and assured that the centre will be ready by the end of the following week.
He said the facility is being created to serve as both holding and treatment center, where suspected cases will be undergoing treatment as they await their laboratory results and once their results prove to be positive they will immediately be transferred to the treatment centre where they will be treated as Ebola patients, but if proven to be negative, the patient will be referred to other hospitals for medical attention.
Highlighting the success of the homegrown initiative, Hon. Alpha Kanu noted that the homegrown initiative project of creating facilities in the fight against Ebola has proven to be a success alluding to the fact that the holding and treatment centre that was erected at the Police Training School (PTS) at Hastings has presently discharged and certified 49 patients who have been treated and are now declared to be fit to integrate with the rest of society.
The Minister however noted that in spite of the resourcefulness of the people of Port Loko in their effort to fight against the virus, they are yet faced with daunting challenges and calls on the International Community to redouble their effort in the support to fight against the virus.
Congratulating the People of Port Loko, the Special Adviser to the President, Hon. Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo applauded the people of Port Loko for their ingenuity and hard work and observed that the creation of the centre will be a big boost for the District in the fight against Ebola.
Stating the purpose of his visit, the Special Adviser to the President said that he was asked by His Excellency the President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma to provide first hand information by way of assessing the progress of the work in order to give an independent report on the status of the project.
Hon. Ibrahim Ben Kargbo expressed his delight over the creation of the facility saying that he was very much impressed with what he has seen and assured that he will convey his findings to the President and called for further support to help fast track the project.
The Co-Chairman for the Response on Ebola who also doubles as a Senior Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Ali Wurie assured the Minister and the Special Adviser to the President about their relentless determination in ensuring that the facility is ready for use by Friday the following week.
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