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Dr. Adam Dolley, a young Liberian doctor who is currently undergoing his residency in the US, made some startling revelation about the Liberian healthcare system and the Ebola crisis to Tmz Liberia Magazine. Dr. Dolley lamented that calling for a state of emergency and closing our borders with Guinea and Sierra Leone will not help solve the Ebola crisis in Liberia.
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Read below for the full transcript of his article…
The government FAILED in their information dissemination approach from the very
start; they were also very slow in providing the necessary funds, protective
accessories to health workers, and also reactivating the universal precaution
protocol at all health sector be it public or private.
Few years ago when we return home from studies and started to work in the health system, we saw some these vulnerabilities and alerted authorities but they did not listen. According to them we knew too much book, and this how they have been operating from "Charlie King time" and that we would be just fine. And actually we were fine, but knew that Liberia was operation on a time bomb. Example at some public and private hospitals, simple protective accessories like disposables and sterile gloves were luxuries; I could go on listing.
Also, Liberia is one of
the few countries that I know of in the world that people can die home or out
of hospital and family member can just carry that body to a funeral home or
burial site without a death certificate stating the cause or circumstances of
the death. Suppose there was a disease in one community that was abruptly and silently killing people without known acute or real symptoms that will motivate
or warrant someone going to see a doctor; there will be no way for government
to keep track on those death data.
This just what is happening right now in
Liberia and it's making it very difficult for government to keep track on people
that are dying from Ebola and also to quarantine people that are at potential risk
or exposure.
Honestly, our health care system is not equip and has not been equipped to withstand such virus, simply because health workers, hospital staff and public health policy makers have been very complacent when it comes to respecting universal precaution protocol. Lots of patients have paid for it with their lives because a doctor, nurse, nurse aide or lab technician never respect the minimum basic universal precaution protocols.
As regard to information dissemination, I think the MOHSW should have used the inter-religious council, the traditional council and well respected communities leaders in spreading this Ebola message. One fact is clear, the is a serious deficit of public trust in government and it's officials, there are some people or an appreciable number of people who no longer have trust in the government for many different reasons.
Honestly, our health care system is not equip and has not been equipped to withstand such virus, simply because health workers, hospital staff and public health policy makers have been very complacent when it comes to respecting universal precaution protocol. Lots of patients have paid for it with their lives because a doctor, nurse, nurse aide or lab technician never respect the minimum basic universal precaution protocols.
As regard to information dissemination, I think the MOHSW should have used the inter-religious council, the traditional council and well respected communities leaders in spreading this Ebola message. One fact is clear, the is a serious deficit of public trust in government and it's officials, there are some people or an appreciable number of people who no longer have trust in the government for many different reasons.
So they usually do not take message coming from the
government seriously even if that message is in their interest. To add insult
to injuries you have some irresponsible legislators, politicians and political
leaders sending contradicting messages out to the public n it just made it
worst. And the public is paying for it with their lives.
To conclude, I will say that this Ebola crisis is an unfortunate situation that government can use as an opportunity to put the health sector in place. This is NOT an OPTION, they have to act now. They firstly need to admit that they have lost the battle in helping to stop the spread of Ebola, but they have lost the war on Ebola.
To conclude, I will say that this Ebola crisis is an unfortunate situation that government can use as an opportunity to put the health sector in place. This is NOT an OPTION, they have to act now. They firstly need to admit that they have lost the battle in helping to stop the spread of Ebola, but they have lost the war on Ebola.
They just need to go
back to the drawing board and strategize a better n simple plan in information dissemination,
reactivate the basic universal health protection protocol n provide all the
necessaries safety accessories. The money is there n they were to get it from,
if it will cost government to suspend some infrastructure projects, cut gas
slip n scratch card, cut the big spending...they need to do that to save life.
I know of lot of young, smart and well train public health technician at the
MOH, it is about time that policy makers at the Ministry tap on their
expertise. The usual Old school way of running that ministry, is not helping and
has not be helping. This Ebola crisis just expose a major deficit at that
Ministry. And hope the president take note.