President Sirleaf Visits Five Ebola Hit Hospitals

Doctors and healthcare workers at five hospitals in Monrovia have lauded the leadership role being played by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the fight against the Ebola virus disease currently plaguing the country. Tthe healthcare practitioners made the assertions in separate remarks on Tuesday, September 9, when the Liberian leader visited by President Sirleaf visited the Ahmadiya, SDA Cooper, Benson, SOS and James Davis hospitals around Monrovia to ascertain first hand working condition at these facilities.

Speaking when President Sirleaf visited the Benson Hospital in Paynesville City outside Monrovia, the chief medical doctor, Dr. Jimmy Benson said the President’s frequent visits to healthcare centers have further motivated them to do more in saving lives and promised to uphold their oath to duty even during this emergency period.

Dr. Benson told the Liberian leader that though his facility is a private one, services to the people of Liberia are uninterrupted as regular illnesses including emergencies are being treated there. She thanked the Liberian government for the courage and commitment in the fight against the Ebola epidemic.

At the Amhadiya Hospital, Dr. Abdulai Harleen Karim said his hospital was happy to serve the Liberia people and has already informed their headquarters in Pakistan about to need to bring in more anti-Ebola materials.

Dr. Karim said the Ahmadiya Hospital has always been opened to the Liberia people with high degree of care by his staff and sometimes have referred those patients showing signs and symptoms of the Ebola virus disease.

Dr. Karim expressed the hope that with the personal involvement of President Sirleaf in motivating health workers and counter checking as to whether health facilities are receiving equipment and supply is motivational and expressed the hope that the enthusiasm regained by healthcare workers especially from his hospital will boost the Ebola fight.

At the SDA Hospital on the 12th Street, authorities there briefed the Liberian leader on the operations at its facilities including the challenge of maintaining constant electricity at the healthcare facility.

However, they expressed appreciation to President Sirleaf for her intervention recently when she supplied a consignment of fuel oil to the hospital as government’s support to healthcare facilities during this Ebola fight.

At each stop to the hospitals and health centers, President Sirleaf admonished healthcare workers to keep up the fight as government is doing everything to protect them against getting infected while treating other illnesses or the Ebola virus disease.

She informed the healthcare practitioners that her visit to these hospitals was to abreast herself about the challenges and prospects during this emergency period and what all of them can do to further enhance the healthcare delivery.

As she has always done, she donated assorted food items to the hospitals and healthcare facilities and promised to review their respective list of needed items and respond quickly as a means of creating the enabling environment to carry out their duties as health workers.

At the James Davis Hospital, President Sirleaf again reiterated government’s commitment to provide improved incentives for healthcare workers and this was at the verge of being concluded. She encouraged them to remain focused on providing healthcare to Liberians in need.

The Liberian leader was responding to plea by Dr. James Kekeh that lack of incentives for healthcare workers was a serious constraint at the free of charge hospital and pleaded for government’s intervention.