The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), through its health body the West African Health Organization (WAHO), has deployed a thirty- nine (39) person strong medical team to Liberia to help the country battle the deadly Ebola Virus. The ECO WAS Medical Team which is headed by Dr. Kabba Joiner arrived in Liberia on Sunday, December 7, 2014 on board a United Nations Aircraft at the Roberts International Airport.

According to a Foreign Ministry release, the 39 member team consists of 10 medical doctors,17 nurses and 12  specialists in different medical areas. Medical personnel from Ghana, Ivory Coast, Niger, Mali, Benin and Nigeria make up the ECOWAS contingent. The ECOWAS Medical team will work under the supervision of the African Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA) under the leadership of Major General Dr.Julius F. Oketta.

Receiving the delegation at the RIA, Major General Oketta said the mission is a joint AU-ECOWAS civil military response operation to the Ebola outbreak in the region. Dr. Oketta disclosed  that the mission of the joint AU-ECOWAS initiative  is to work on the following pillars: medical and non medical, dealing with the Ebola Treatment Units and surveillance ,humanitarian  support to distress communities ,physo-social support and social mobilization, communications and coordination  and collaboration with partners in the fight against Ebola.

“All of us from the African soil have come here in support of government’s effort ineradicating Ebola, Inormally use the word eradication because we don’t want to suspend Ebola, we must finish it robustly and therefore we are here to ensure bythe time we stepped on the ground Ebola must be declared finished that is our spirit”, Major General Dr.Oketta told the zealous looking medical personnel. He urged the medical personnel to serve as not only ambassadors for their respective countries but also for ECOWAS by showing love, care and support for people in the communities where they will be assigned.

For his part, the head of the ECOWAS Medical team, Dr. Kabba Joiner said he was glad to be in Liberia and to make a contribution to raid the West African sub-region of the deadly Ebola virus.Dr. Joiner said the team was carried through the entire basic preventive training and skilled through the steps in treating Ebola victims. “We are here to work directly with the AU Mission, the Ministry of Health and other partners to ensure we win this war. My team hopes to be deployed to wherever the authorities in Liberia decide and will work in all terrains”, he said.

Dr. Joiner said apart from Ebola the ECOWAS Medical team will focus on other critically needed health areas as requested by the Liberian government adding we want to help Liberia rebuild its human resources in the medical field that’s why we have brought all these trained professionals from across the region.

The ECOWAS Medical Team was received on arrival by officials of the West African Health Organization, ECOWAS National Unit, the African Union Liaison Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health among others.