The Minister, while on an assessment tour last weekend at the construction sites of holding centres across the district, held a series of community meetings with the locals spurring stakeholders, especially the youth, to endeavour to make utmost contribution to the fight against the virus.
Addressing stakeholders at the Port Loko District Council Hall, Hon. Alpha Kanu expressed sincere appreciation for the work of the Chiefs and other stakeholders in the district, noting that the fight against Ebola is the people’s fight and therefore, a national fight with the need for all stakeholders to come onboard to overcome all the challenges in the fight against the virus.
Speaking to the youth of Feredugu, the Hon. Minister encouraged them to take the fight seriously and urged them to help in the construction of the holding centre in their chiefdom so that the sick in their chiefdom will be removed from the various communities.
He noted that the virus is fragile and easy to eliminate but needed conscious efforts to break the chain of transmission hence the need for holding centres to get the sick out of the communities for further medical attention. The Minister also further reminded his audience that they should refrain from touching the sick with their bare hands and burying their dead. He encouraged them to report to the authorities any suspected case in their localities.
While addressing key stakeholders at the Port Loko District Council, President Ernest Koroma, after listening to the various presentations, encouraged stakeholders to intensify their effort in the fight against the virus. He instructed the CEO of NERC and other key stakeholders to address the problems raised in the meeting and assured the people of his determined commitment in supporting them in the fight against the dreaded disease.
He urged the paramount Chiefs and their various local chiefs to implement the laws to the fullest saying that any chief that reneges from taking effective measures to the address the situation in their respective localities will be disciplined.
Updating the president on the status of the fight in the district, Paramount Chiefs, Hon. Members of Parliament and councillors heaped praises on the Hon. Minister of Information and Communications for his relentless effort in leading the fight in the district and the leadership role he has been playing in providing holding centres in the various chiefdoms of the district. They assured the President about the effectiveness of the various strategies they have implemented in the various chiefdoms noting that the number of cases in the district have reduced drastically.
Informing the President about the number of challenges they are face with, the Paramount Chiefs, Hon Members of parliament and the councilors of the district catalogued the numerous challenges they face that hinder the effectiveness in the fight against the disease ranging from lack of adequate supplies for quarantined homes, late response the medics and the lack of holding centres to house the suspected cases in the various communities.
