Ebola kills doctor at Redemption Hospital

News reaching The NewDawn Tuesday noon disclosed that the Head Surgeon at the Redemption Hospital in the Borough of New Kru Town, a suburb of Monrovia has died from the Ebola Virus Disease.

The Head Doctor (name withheld) had been quarantined at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Sinkor, Monrovia where he was being monitored up to his demise.

The surgeon reportedly died after treating a health worker, who died of Ebola at Redemption.

A female health worker on duty died at the Redemption Hospital recently after she supervised an Ebola patient admitted at the hospital.

The sudden death of Madam Esther Kesselee led health authorities here to shut down the Redemption Hospital and transferred all patients to other government hospitals in the capital.

Health Ministry authorities in Monrovia have declined to reveal the name of the Head Doctor or confirmed the death as all contacts made by this paper Tuesday to get details on the incident were turned down without any explanation.

But our reporter who visited the Redemption Hospital Tuesday broke the news of the death of the Head Surgeon. Ebola-related deaths from New Kru Town have reached seven with the Head Surgeon at Redemption Hospital being the latest.

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf paid a visit to the Redemption Hospital on June 17, 2014 to show solidarity for the staff and Nurses there after the death of Madam Kesselee. During the visit, President Sirleaf paid tribute to the administration, nurses and staff for their courage and sacrifices to the nation and promised government’s full support.

Speaking earlier, the Assistant Minister of Health for Preventive Services, Tolbert Nyenswah, informed President Sirleaf of the challenges faced by health workers in the fight against the outbreak, including fear and denial.

He explained that nurses at the Redemption Hospital are seriously shocked by the death of their colleague, which has also affected their passion to work in the wake of fear of being infected by the virus while attending to suspected cases. He, however highlighted that family members of Ebola victims are posing a serious hindrance to the instant burial of these fatalities, which is one of the surest ways of prevention.

Minister Nyenswah said family members were demanding the remains of dead relatives for burial in keeping with normal traditions, warning that if not curtailed, the practice could hinder prevention efforts.

Over the weekend, President Sirleaf warned that close family members and other relatives keeping victims of  Ebola Virus Disease in homes and prayer centers risk prosecution under the law, emphasizing: “These practices create public health hazards to families, neighborhoods and other innocent people. It is illegal under our public health law to expose the people to health hazard such as Ebola.”

The Redemption was greeted with grief and disappointment Tuesday when nurses and staff gathered at the entrance of the hospital to mourn the death of the Head Surgeon.