THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia

NEWS SUMMARY FOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2014

News of President Johnson Sirleaf’s description of an Ebola survivor as a hero and Africare-Liberia medical supply to clinicians to assist in the performance of their duties are stories highlighted in our summary of today’s local dailies.

DOMINANT STORIES

Pres. Sirleaf Describes Ebola ‘a Hero’

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has described as “A Hero” a Physician Assistant at the C.H. Rennie Hospital in Kakata, Margibi County after full recovery and has opted to return to work immediately. She was affected by the Ebola virus disease. Mrs. Kandy Kobbah told the Liberian leader that her infection, isolation and subsequent full recovery from the silent killer disease was not the end of the road in her medical service and that she will return to her area of assignment in Kakata to resume normal duty, INSIGHT writes.

Related Captions: Pres. Sirleaf Describes Recovered Nurse As ‘Hero’(The New Republic), Recovered PA Dubbed as Heroine(The New Dawn), Hero’s Label For ZMAPP-Cured Health Worker(FrontPage Africa), Pres. Sirleaf Visits Margibi-Describes Recovered Physician Assistant As ‘A Hero’(The Analyst), ZMAPP Heals Liberian Physician(New Democrat)

Africare Restores Hope For Mothers – To Allay Ebola Fear

Amidst the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, the non-governmental organization Africare-Liberia continues to collaborate with the Bong County health Team to ensure routine basic primary health services are provided at all primary health care facilities in the county. With funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Africare-Liberia is supplying drugs as well as medical and non medical supplies to protect clinicians while they provided health services to residents of Bong county. Every month, Africare-Liberia Country Director Mr. Ernest K. Gaie visits Bong County to observe activities at Africare supported health facilities and projects, and to meet with staff, FrontPage Africa reports.

Related Caption: Africare Restores Hope For Mothers- to Allay Ebola Fear(The Analyst)

WHO Assistant Director General Promises West Pointers

In support of efforts to combat the Ebola virus in Liberia, the World Health Organization (WHO), Assistant Director General, Kaij Fukuda, has pleaded with the people of West Point WHO’s commitment to help fight the epidemic and furnish them with various necessary supplies. Speaking recently in Monrovia at a daylong meeting with the people of West Point, WHO Assistant Director General Fukuda said it was important to hear from those affected by the epidemic as a way of finding the solution to the problems, Daily Observer writes.

Related Caption: WHO Coordinates Int’l Response – To Ebola Outbreak In West Africa(The NEWS)

OTHER STORIES

Pres. Sirleaf Calls For Anti-Ebola Ambassadors

TheINSIGHT newspaper reports that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has called on community leaders in Montserrado County to serve as anti-Ebola Ambassadors as a way of eradicating the virus. President Sirleaf said as community leaders, they should play an important role in this national fight by sensitizing residents of their communities about the danger of the virus and how they can prevent it from spreading.The Liberian leader made the statement at the end of a week-long Ebola awareness training workshop organized by the Alpha Fa Alpha Fraternity at the Newport Junior High School in Monrovia over the weekend. She admonished them to pass on the knowledge acquired to their colleagues in their various communities so as to make the fight against Ebola a very easy one. 

C.H. Rennie Empowered By Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church of Liberia in collaboration with the Episcopal Relief Development Organization in New York, USA has donated Ebola preventive materials to the C.H. Rennie Hospital which the administration is contemplating to reopen following its closure in the wake of outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the County. The US$7,000 worth of items which include twenty-six Ebola buckets, 20 bags of rice, five cartons of argo oil, and PPE’s among several others will be used in strengthening the hospital's capacity in the fight against the Ebola virus. The Chairman of Planning and Development on the Board of the Episcopal Church of Liberia, Dr. Roosevelt G. Jayjay who made the donation  on behalf of the Church, said it was the church's way of identifying with the Hospital and the Government of Liberia as it pulls resources to combat  the deadly virus. Receiving the donation on behalf of the hospital Administration, the Acting County Health Officer of the Hospital Dr. Adolphus T. Yeiah thanked the Episcopal Church of Liberia and the Episcopal Relief Development Organization in New York, USA for the gesture, and assured the Church that the materials will be used for the intended purpose, according to the New Republic newspaper.

VP Boakai Rallies Citizens In Ebola Fight

According to the New Dawn newspaper, Vice President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, has called on Liberians to forget their differences and join the fight against Ebola. Ambassador Boakai said Ebola that continues to claim lot of lives needs to be dealt with holistically, while advising Liberians to stop creating disunity among themselves during this critical period of the country. The Vice President spoke in Gbarnga, Bong County last week during a brief stopover while in route to Lofa County. He said because of the scaring nature of the Ebola outbreak, people are dying from non-Ebola cases. He stressed that the faster Liberia can tackle Ebola, it can help stop her citizens from dying from curable illnesses.

UL Brings In Medical Supplies

The University of Liberia (UL) over the weekend brought in to the country medical equipment to help fight the deadly Ebola epidemic that has taken away over a thousand lives in West Africa, including Liberia. UL President, Dr. Emmet Dennis, said the supplies came as a result of his visit to the U.S. where he sought assistance from Liberians across America to help the institution with medical equipment to identify with health centers in the country, New Dawn reports.

AEL Promises To Care For Ebola ‘Sufferers’ Directly

The Association of Evangelicals of Liberia (AEL) has disclosed plans to move its Ebola interventions to the next level that would directly benefit victims of the Ebola virus in the country. The President of the Board of Governance, Reverend Doctor Nuwoe-James Kiamu, said AEL is moving beyond the campaigns of sensitization and prevention to caring directly for Ebola sufferers, their families and any of the affected communities in postwar Liberia, Daily Observer reports.

More Muscles Against Ebola Fight – As MRUYP Trains Communities Youths

The Mano River Union Youth Parliament began training of community youth from various communities across the country in order to help combat the deadly Ebola virus in the country. The spoke person of the union Melvin S. Sarh said the aim of the training is to prepare youths in how to spread the preventive massages in communities that have been highly affected with the virus in the country, IN PROFILE DAILY reports.

Gov’t To Compensate Fallen Health Workers’ Families – Ellen Promises Health Workers Extraordinary Incentives

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has disclosed that the government of Liberia has resolved to compensate families of health workers who lost their lives in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus.  The Liberian leader said government is preparing compensation packages for health workers families throughout the country. She said this is to serve as government’s way of consoling them for their losses, Daily Observer reports.

Seven Suspected Criminals Released -In Buchanan

The Buchanan Magisterial Court Thursday August 21, 2014 released 7 criminal suspects from further detention. The suspects who have been detained without trial were freed based on the court`s decision following a motion filed by Defense Council headed by Cllr. Paul Jarvan.
Magistrate Richard Brown, consenting to the motion that prayed for the release of the seven suspects, lawfully restored the freedom of the state prosecutors to make assignment to try the suspects who languished behind bars for more than 5 months. Those set free include Sam Massaquoi, Jonathan Wreh, Emmanuel Karwor, and Mohamed Konnah who were charged with burglary. Others are Harry Brown, Zacheus Kpahgar who were charged with theft of property and Fredrick Klay charged with aggravated assault. Releasing the suspects, Judge Brown urged accusers to follow up their case for trial proceeding in order to avoid overcrowding of the prison facilities and prolonged detention of suspects, writes the New Republic newspaper.