Ebola Spreads to District in Gbarpolu

Reports from Gbarpolu County speak of the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease in Gounwulala District. An Executive of the Gbarpolu Citizens Association-Bong Chapter told our Bong County correspondent on Wednesday that the virus has seriously hit the region thereby threatening the lives of ordinary people in the absence of medication.

Mr. Milton Gertee  is urging the Gbarpolu County Legislative Caucus and local leaders of the County to draw the attention of the National Ebola task force in combating the disease in the District.

The Bong County Gbarpolu Citizens Association Executive member said the District was sharing borders with Bong County and as such, there was an urgent need for authorities of Gbarpolu to work alongside their Bong County counterparts in fighting the epidemic.

Mr. Gertee appealed the leadership of the Gbarpolu Ebola Taskforce to begin to train a burial team, as well as erect an Ebola Treatment Unit in Kpayea-kwele Town to cater to suspected, probable and confirmed cases of Ebola in the District.

He also urged leaders of Gbarpolu to closely work with leaders of Bong County to open all crossing points and place health care workers along the St. Paul River with thermo flashes and immediately make available hand-washing buckets and sanitizers for the various householders in the district. He expressed fear that if nothing is done to stop the further spread of the virus, it would take away the hundreds of lives.

Bong Health Workers Abort Strike

The President of the Bong County Health Workers Association has urged all health workers of the County to return to work. Madam Martha Morris in an interview with a community radio station in the county on Tuesday night said their desire to return to work was a result of the many appeals coming from citizens.

Since her pronouncement, many health workers had on Wednesday and Thursday gone to their assigned respective health facilities. Madam Morris assured citizens that they were also ready to work despite the government’s failure to address their concerns. The Health Workers Association of Bong head criticized the Liberian Government for being insensitive to the plights of the health workers as well as Liberian people.

In a resolution Tuesday, the association agreed not to engage in further dialogue with the Health Ministry, resolving that it is impossible to achieve their objectives, owing to the nature of the Minister of Health spearheading the Liberian health sector.

On Monday of this week, the National Health Workers Association of Liberia announced a nationwide strike action for the Liberian Government to address several issues, including risk benefits, provision of personal protective equipment and the reinstatement of the association’s President and Secretary-General. The strike action was partly observed throughout the country as some workers remained on the job despite the pronouncement by their leadership.