EA to send health workers to W. Africa
Saturday October 18 2014
Nurses wearing protective suits search for a man infected with the Ebola virus to escort him to a hospital in Monrovia, Liberia on August 25, 2014. The five EAC member states have agreed to jointly send a team of 41 medical experts and 578 health workers to help contain the virus. PHOTO | FILE | AFP
The East African Community partner states have extended their support to West African countries in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus that has claimed more than 4,000 lives so far. The five member states have agreed to jointly send a team of 41 medical experts and 578 health workers to help contain the virus.
Kenya is expected to send a team of 15 doctors, Uganda 14, Rwanda 7 and Tanzania 5. In terms of health workers, Kenya will deploy nearly 300, Burundi 250, Uganda 21 and Rwanda 7. Tanzania is yet to announce the number of health personnel it will send to West Africa.
This is one of the resolutions the EAC Sectoral Council of Ministers of Health reached on October 16 in Arusha.
According to the health ministers, the action follows the rapid increase in the number of cases and deaths in West Africa and beyond, as well as Ebola’s impact on socio-economic development, security and the wellbeing of the people of the region and the African continent.
The health ministers also approved the EAC Regional Ebola Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan of Action, and directed the EAC Secretariat to mobilise $750,000 from the EAC reserve fund to support its implementation.
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The funds will cover the challenges faced by EAC countries in preparing for and responding to the EVD outbreak specifically in the areas of co-ordination, communication, cross-border collaboration, supplies and equipment logistics management, financing, case management, infection prevention and control, surveillance and contact tracing, diagnostics and community sensitisation and participation.
According to the proposed plan of action, EAC countries are expected to work together in ensuring strong surveillance of the disease and strengthening of laboratory facilities to improve Ebola diagnostic capacity.
Countries will also collaborate in human resource capacity building whereby the EAC Secretariat will undertake system analysis in member states as well as training of trainers.