JFK reopens next week

Information Minister Lewis Brown, has announced here that the John F. Kennedy Hospital and other medical centers in the country will officially resume operations next week.

JFK, named in memory of the late American President, John Fitzgerald  Kennedy, was shut down recently along with other public health facilities following the death of a senior Liberian Doctor, Samuel Brisbane and scores of nurses across the country from the Ebola Virus Disease. Speaking Thursday, August 7th, during the regular press briefing of the ministry, Brown said the JFK, ELWA, and Redemption hospitals, among others will resume full operation to the public.

“Though we agree that these medical centers were shut down due to the number of medical practitioners and health workers, who died from the deadly Ebola virus while attending to patients, but we as a government, with the measures that are  being  put in place want to assure the Liberian people that we stand by our commitment to make sure that people of this country get the proper and necessary treatments that they deserve, because when some of these centers began to shut down, we informed you that in the next possible time they will come back to work”, he  said.

The minister said no government will want to see her citizens suffer or die from disease, but in a situation like this when health workers start to die, the institution has no alternative but to shut down.

“We have instituted the following measures to provide safety, including the provision of safety gears, gloves, suits and other essentials that will erase the fear from them (health workers) in treating Ebola patients.”

According to him, the Ministry of National Defense has also joined the fight against the deadly Ebola virus by launching a white shell operation plan to help tackle the disease from Liberia. The MICAT boss said the plan will allow the Armed Forces of Liberia to protect health workers on duty at various affected communities or borders.

He stressed the importance for citizens across the 15 political sub-divisions to take the State of Emergency declared by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf very seriously by staying within their respective counties and avoid coming in contact with other people to halt the spread of the virus.