THE BUREAU OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Monrovia, Liberia.

NEWS SUMMARY FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2014

News dominating our summary of the selected local dailies today include President Johnson Sirleaf’s excitement over the decline in patient intake at various ETUs around Monrovia and the National Oil Company of Liberia’s pronouncement on the closure of the 2014 competitive bid.     

DOMINANT STORIES

Massive Improvement In Ebola Fight -As Ellen Tours Major ETUs

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has expressed delight that most Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs) around Monrovia are experiencing a decline in patient intake. The President, however, warned Liberians to continue to follow the preventive measures specified by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoSHW) in order to break transmission of the disease, as there are still hotspots in some communities.  “I feel very good. The people are working well – doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers – they are all very vigilant and very efficient; more importantly, most of the ETUs don’t have patients,” the elated Liberian President told journalists following a tour of several ETUs around Monrovia yesterday. She had toured those centers in order to assess conditions, including constraints, if any, and to thank healthcare workers, partners, and volunteers for their services to the country especially in the fight against the Ebola virus disease. The President’s visit took her to treatment units at ELWA-II, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), ELWA-III, Ministry of Defense, the three ETUs under construction at the Samuel Kayon Doe Sports Complex, and the National Ebola Command Center in Sinkor. At ELWA-II, Dr. Jerry Brown, head of the treatment facility, informed President Sirleaf that as at Tuesday, November 18, there were only 34 patients at that 100-bed facility. At least 14 patients were discharged on Monday, November 17, most of them from Rivercess County, Daily Observer reports

Related Captions: At Most ETUs Around Monrovia: Ellen Happy Over Decline in Patient Intake(Heritage),Ellen Tells Ebola Health Workers To Be Patient(The New Republic)

NOCAL Announces Closure Of Competitive Bid

The National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) Tuesday announced that the Liberia Basin 2014 competitive bid round has been closed. According to NOCAL, bids from pre-qualified companies were opened by independent advisors EY (formerly Emst and Young) in London on Monday 17 November in the presence of NOCAL and NOCAL’s date partners TGS/Nopec. EY will now provide NOCAL with an independent evaluation of the fiscal terms contained in each bid. The Chief Operating Officer of NOCAL, Cllr Althea Sherman, who is coordinating the bid round said: “We are extremely pleased with the level of interest and bid submissions from international and local oil companies, the Inquirer newspaper reports.

Related Captions: Liberia Bid Round Closed (The News), NOCAL Closes Bidding Process Of Oil Block(Daily Observer)

OTHER STORIES

ECOWAS To Send 131 Medical Personnel…Makes Additional Donation To Affected Countries

The Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) is expected to send 131 medical personnel to help contain the vicious Ebola virus disease in the three affected West African states. ECOWAS is also donating additional US$1 million each to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone that are most affected by the Ebola epidemic that has engulfed the three sisterly countries. Making the disclosure yesterday upon the completion of a solidarity visit to Liberia, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Kadre Desire Ouedraogo said the 131 health workers will be deployed in the three countries to assist in the fight against Ebola that has claimed the highest number of lives in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the Inquirer reports.

International Health “Expect Wants More Laboratorial Built In ETUs

An International health expert, Mr. Hans Rosling, has recommended to the Liberian Government to build more laboratories at every Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs) so that other diseases such as Malaria, Fever, Typhoid and others would easily be distinguished from the deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). According to Mr. Roseling, Ebola is a stupid virus that hides among other diseases, and therefore, it can only quickly be diagnosed from other diseases if there are more laboratories built across the country. The International expert spoke Monday, November 17, 2014 at the Ministry of Information Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) daily Ebola Hour. “The government should now prioritize the building of more laboratories across every health centers so that other diseases can be tested rather than focusing only on building more ETUs” he said, Heritage writes.

Senate Accepts December 16^th Election Date – Without A ‘Caveat’

Following hours of open debate that culminated into executive session, the President Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate yesterday informed Legislative Reporters of the Senate’s unanimous decision to accept the December 16, 2014 Special Senatorial Elections date. Speaking to journalists immediately after a brief executive session, Pro Tempore Gbehzohngar Findley said: “Today, a decision has been taken by the Senate, unanimously that the date for election will be December 16, 2014, and will be held across the nation on the same day. The senate’s position is that there is no caveat, whether a county will be quarantined, therefore elections will not be held in that county; the Senate is clear on that matter”, Daily Observer reports.

 Related Caption: All Now Set For Dec. 16 Election…As Both Senate, House Finally Agree(The Inquirer)

Arcelor Mittal Commits Money, Fuel To Nimba, Bassa Ebola Fight

The Ebola Taskforces in Nimba and Grand Bassa counties will receive a monthly allotment of US$5,000 and 500 gallons of fuel from iron ore mining firm Arcelor Mittal to support the work. A press release issued by the company Monday says the assistance is part of the company’s commitment to Liberia in the fight against the Ebola disease. The company reaffirmed its decision “never to leave Liberia” amid the health emergency. It said the company’s Executive President for Mining, Kleber Silva, has visited Liberia about five times this year to assure the Government and people of Liberia of his entity’s commitment not to close down its operations in Liberia, Heritage newspaper reports.

4,000 Chiefs Begin Training…On Ebola Prevention

 The Ministries of Health and Internal Affairs on Tuesday began a 10-week training for 4,000 chiefs, elders and 10,000 stakeholders. The training launched in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, will prepare participants to provide Ebola education in their communities and support contact tracing, active case finding, surveillance, safe burial and safe transportation in order to break the transportation in order to break the transmission. The Director of National health Promotion Division at the Ministry of Health Rev. John Sumo said the training will be done in partnership with the National Council of Chiefs and Elders, along with county and district health teams as well as the international partners. He indicated that the ministry will lead a four-day training at district level simultaneously in nine counties including Grand Cape Mount, Gbarpolu, Bomi, Lofa, Nimba, Bong, Grand Bassa, Montserrado, and Margibi, the News reports.

Secret Night Burials - Liberia's Health Ministry Alarms Growing

The Ministry of Health of and Social Welfare has raise a serious alarm over the refusal of people allowing their dead ones to be buried with dignity by health officials but rather, many family members have begun carrying out secret burials at night in their various communities. Speaking to reporters Tuesday at the Ministry of Information regular Ebola press briefing, Assistant Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah disclosed that the time is not certified yet for Liberians to return to their usual cultural practices and that an attempt to do so will lead the nation to a dangerous trajectory. The Assistant Health Minister noted that the Ministry is still recording 20-50 new Ebola suspected cases on a daily basis across the country, suggesting that there is active transmission of the Ebola virus disease in Liberia, FrontPage Africa newspaper writes.

Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia Updates EJS On Hospital Reopening

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has held discussions with a high-level delegation of the Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia. The delegation, led by Archbishop Lewis Zeigler, included Secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference, Rev. Fr. Patrick Kabba; Vicar General-Archdiocese of Monrovia, Rev. Fr. Charles Boyce; Dean of the Mother Patern College of Health Science, Stella Maris Polytechnic, Rev. Sister Barbara Brillant; member of the Catholic Church Ebola task force, Mr. Samuel Kofi Woods; Acting Administrator of the St. Joseph's Catholic Hospital, Rev. Brother Bernard Isah Benda; and member of the Coordinating Taskforce for the re-opening of the St. Joseph's Catholic Hospital, Rev. Brother Jose Maria Viadero. According to an Executive Mansion release, at the meeting at her Foreign Ministry office on Tuesday, November 18, Archbishop Zeigler informed President Sirleaf that the Catholic Church has concluded arrangements for the reopening of the St. Joseph's Catholic Hospital later this month in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The Catholic Archbishop of Monrovia indicated that activities at the hospital will initially focus on the Maternal Ward to be followed by Pediatric Ward and subsequently the General Ward. In response, President Sirleaf described the decision of the Catholic Church to re-open the St. Joseph Catholic Hospital as the happiest news of the week for the Church, Government and the country as a whole. She thanked Archbishop Zeigler and the Catholic Church family for their commitment to Liberia and its people, FrontPage Africanewspaper reports.

Desist From Treating People At Home…Min. Nyenswah Warns Health Workers

The Heritage newspaper reports that Assistant Minister for Preventive and Curative Services at the Ministry of health and Social Welfare (MOHSW), Mr. Torbor Nyenswah, has warned healthcare workers to desist from treating patients at home. Speaking at the regular Ebola Hour press briefing at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT) on Tuesday, November 18, 2014, Mr. Nyenswah, who is also the head of the Incident Management Team, said it is saddened to hear that healthcare workers in Liberia are still getting infested with Ebola. He said healthcare workers should know that there is still active transmission of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country. The head of the Incident Management Team urged Liberians to desist from burial practices under the cover of darkness. “All you have to do if somebody dies is to call us. We have well-trained health workers to help you in the process, if the body is tested Ebola free”, he added.