ULAA President disappointed

The President of the University of Liberia Alumni Association or ULAA, James S. Davis, II, has expressed serious frustration over the continued refusal of patients by health facilities across the country, including government-run health institutions in the midst of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease or EVD.

Mr. Davis said Liberia has come a far way in fighting the deadly virus with a great knowledge by nurses and doctors on how to prevent themselves from contracting the virus when examining whether a patient is positive or not.

He said the habit of health institutions refusing or turning back patients is worrisome and could cause problem for the country.

The ULAA president, who made the statement Wednesday at his Perry Street office in Monrovia, said his attention has been drawn to a recent news report about a little girl, who was allegedly raped in Montserrado County District #17 and refused by health facilities, which led to her subsequent death at a police check point.

Mr. Davis added that similar incident happened to him when he was to attend a program at the Ebola survivors’ camp, where he should have done a presentation, but started feeling pain in his left arm that could not permit him to even drive his car or do the presentation at the ceremony.

“I called a friend of mine to help drive the car and take me to the any nearby hospital and clinic, but all the places we went refused me; we later went to the ELWA 2 where the security allowed me in but at the hospital entrance, we were told by the security there that the hospital was not accepting any emergency; so we have to leave from there with the pain getting very serious; it was the first time in a long while I cried since the death of my mother long time ago,” Mr. Davis narrated.
   
He added that after passing all around for a health facility that will accept him, they later fell in the hands of the police, who arrested the car for violating curfew and added that all efforts in making the police to understand that it they were on an emergency fell on deaf ears.

“If the police, who are on duty don’t believe a car is carrying emergency, I think all they need to do is to put their police escort behind that car and see the end of the case than to stop an emergency car, which is not a good sign for the police”, he advised.                 

By Ben P. Wesee