Sierra Leone News: UNFPA hands over ebola logistics to MoHS

The United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) on 24th November handed over ebola logistics support to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MoHS) as part of their continued support to compliment government’s efforts in capacity building.


The UNFPA handed over three Toyota Land cruisers together with one thousand four hundred and seventeen (1,417) ebola response workers which comprised of one thousand, one hundred and eighty-three (1,183) contact tracers and two hundred and thirty-four (234) supervisors across the country.
UNFPA country representative, Dr. Bannet Ndyanabangi while handing over the equipment to Dr. Sarian Kamara of MoHS, said throughout the period UNFPA supported the ministry through leadership of the operations component of contact tracing including payment of salaries for district contact tracing monitors and incentives for up to six thousand (6000) ebola response workers in the country.
He said during the outbreak UNFPA supported recruitment, staff training and capacity building to coordinate EVD contact tracing that monitored over hundred thousand (100 000) contacts by the end of the outbreak, noting that the initiative of ebola contact tracing proved effective as it played active role in breaking the chain of transmission of the virus.
Dr. Bannet mentioned that part of the funding they received from World Bank and African Development Bank was used to procure transport logistics which included thirty-eight (38) motorcycles, two vehicles for MoHS, office equipment and thirteen (13) desk top computers, printers and accessories which helped to facilitate the smooth and effective operations of the contact tracers.

On behalf of MoHS, Dr. Sarian Kamara said UNFPA was one of the UN agencies that worked firmly with the Ministry during the outbreak as they provided effective monitoring scheme that helped to break the chain of transmission and their active collaboration during the ebola outbreak, which she said was an unprecedented situation that affected the country badly.
She explained that despite the declaration by World Health Organization (WHO) of the eradication of the virus in the country, government and their development partners should heighten surveillance activities in the country to avoid reoccurrence of the disease.
“We need to be vigilant and the Ministry is looking at heightened surveillance and also to develop the available capacity to ensure that the fight against the virus remains a priority”.
She assured UNFPA that the ministry will continue to work with them and promised to utilize the donated items for their intended purpose.

Source: Awoko


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