By Ezekiel Nabieu
What a headline! While others are chanting “Ebola go, tenki papa Ernes, here I am virtually appreciating diabolic Ebola. But even the devil has his attributes. Ebola was brazen enough to enter 2015 with us even as we tried with might and main to scupper it.
To Ebola I say “sad new year, I wish you could change your abhorrent behavior of killing our most useful sons and daughters. Wish you N.R (Never Return).
The EVD brought in its train an influx of hundreds of medics in this medically starved-country. Be it so, it is not certain whether the incumbent government would maintain the gains so fortuitously achieved. The government still has to cope with its negligent budget allocation to the Health Ministry only because selected citizens get medical treatment abroad.
The Abuja target has also not been met with the same disdain in health matters it evinces. Even access to health facilities for far-flung villages is a pipe dream. Monitoring of hospitals, health centres and clinics as demanded by NERC remains a lip service. One needs only to visit such centers to be confronted by emptiness and gloom.
Several preventive measures were employed, some on trial and error basis. Some bye-laws were employed on the fundamental human rights of citizens but passed under the cover of State of Health Emergency. With millions of Leones in hand members of Parliament, Paramount Chiefs and Councilors were criss-crossing the country commanding and countermanding as well they might.
Pujehun District was a special case in point because of becoming the first district to achieve the 42 days target. They even forbade worship in churches and mosques for one month for which they were lambasted by clerics. Whether that restriction did the trick is uncertain. Kenema District might have achieved that status before Pujehun but for one victim that entered the district incognito. And that would have been achieved without closing churches and mosques.
SPECIFICALLY
There is no gainsaying the fact that the scourge provided temporary employment for thousands of Sierra Leoneans albeit at the risk of life for some and relatively easy roles for the lucky. A few of these have been making fortunes out of the miseries of others. How they wish inhumanly that Ebola would not end!
Access to the health facilities has been has been a bane not only to this government but also for previous governments. To this and there is a sigh of relief with the availability of over hundred ambulances from the pre-Ebola number of five. Barring impassable roads this number ought to solve most of the problems of transportation. With good maintenance and availability of more medics and drugs all will be well, all manner of medical things.
Animal Rights Activists, not necessarily humanitarians must have been pleased with the ban on eating bush meat regardless of the havoc of Ebola. But the embargo will soon be over hopefully in spite of the same infection danger which is traced from them.
The World Food Programme came in handy but without some bashing by an ill-fed citizenry backed by some politicians. Not long after their distribution started in epi-centers accusations rang out that they were distributing rotten rice. This was vehemently rebuffed by WFP.
It turned out that some WFP rice which is contained in their clearly marked bags was being replaced with rotten rice which was blamed on WFP. In any case at this time of economic hardship worsened by trade restriction it has been a welcome boost in spite of the detestable corruption by the forces and civilians during its distribution.
Last but not least for now is the extension of fee-free education to boys in secondary schools. It will be noted that the facility was only limited to girls since the days of the previous regime.
HARD QUESTIONS
- (a) What action has been taken against those who flout laid down procurement rules? (b) If not why not?
- Is Sierra Leone ready to copy-cat the Guinean, Liberian practice of having traditional societies or groups like Traditional Healers or Soweis to bury their own dead?
© Politico 28/01/15
