By Kemo Cham
That the West African Ebola epidemic
exposed the weakness of the region’s health sector as demonstrated by its
devastating impact has been extensively reported on. But the reason for its
long-drawn-out nature has hardly been told enough.
That’s what the first ever ‘Open
Space Conference’ in Sierra Leone intended to achieve. Organised jointly by the
German Institute for Medical Mission (DIAFAEM) and the Sierra Leone Adult
Education Association (SLADEA), the three-day (February 2-4) gathering brought
together over a 100 people drawn from across diverse backgrounds to discuss the
healthcare system and diagnose why the Ebola epidemic may have struck so deep.
Participants, some of whom came from
the other two Mano River Basin countries – Guinea and Liberia – were meant to
proffer suggestions on ways to boost the health sector.
“We have put the end of Ebola behind
us but that’s not the end of it all,” said historian and academic, Professor
Joe A.D. Alie, at the opening ceremony at the m
ain conference hall of the Hill
Valley Hotel in Freetown. “It’s not over until it’s all over,” he said.
The conference opened as Sierra
Leone was entering the fourth week of the second cluster of the epidemic that
began in 2014. Although the new flare-up couldn’t have come as a surprise,
given the fact that it had happened in neighbouring Liberia two times, it
explains why every question about the epidemic must be answered, said Professor
Alie, who is Honorary President of SLADEA. He said before the epidemic could be
safely said to be over, the nation must know what went wrong and why, and that
until those questions were “honestly” answered, it wouldn’t be over.
“Example, could the epidemic had
spread as it did with a good health system? Could it have spread if we took it
serious?”the professor said, noting that these were “awkward questions” but
that they needed to be asked.
SLADEA, established in 1978, seeks
to reduce high illiteracy rate among adults in the country through one of the
best known adult literacy classes in the country.
DIFAEM is a Christian NGO offering
technical expertise and financial support for health services in
resource-limited countries. It focuses mainly on Primary Health Care and access
to good health services particularly for poor and marginalized communities.This
is the first time ever an ‘Open Space Conference’ (OSC) has been held in Sierra
Leone. And, according to the organisers, it’s especially significant coming
immediately after the Ebola epidemic.
The Freetown event was one of three
scheduled for the three Mano River Union [MRU] countries hardest hit by the
Ebola epidemic. A similar session is scheduled for Liberia later this month and
in Guinea it is slated for April.
Representatives from both countries
participated in the Freetown conference. The Guinean delegation included the
head of the national anti-Ebola effort, Mohamed Kone, who stressed the need for
cross border collaboration to permanently isolate the Ebola virus.
Kone admitted that lack of resources
led to the wide spread of the virus in his country. He also attributed the
eventual defeat of the disease to three key factors: effective coordination,
support of partners, and community involvement.
Dr Alpha Omar Barrie, another member
of the Guinean delegation, said the need to harmonise efforts to defeat Ebola
made the conference an important tool.
“Nothing is more real than a dream,”
said Lancedell Mathew, head of the Monrovia-based New Africa Research and
Development Agency (NARDA). NARDA is the local partner for DIFAEM in Liberia
and will help coordinate the Liberian version of the Open Space Conference
scheduled for Gbarnga, the capital city of Bong County.
Mathew believes that the goals of
the conference constituted a dream that held the future of the region in terms
of fighting emergencies like Ebola.
Participants included community
health workers, representatives of health care civil society groups, local and
traditional leaders, the media and government officials.
As characteristic of all Open Space
Conferences, the meeting had no prepared agenda; the participants were tasked
with setting up one by discussing issues based on their experiences either as
beneficiaries of the healthcare system or as workers in the system.
“You don’t have to be experts in
these issues, you just have to care enough about it and raise it up,” said
Juliane Westphal, co-facilitator of the conference. She emphasized on the
importance of OSC in resolving issues affecting collective interests. OSCs, she
said, had been in existence for over 20 years, used mainly by governments,
communities, NGOs, and faith-based groups.
“It is a method that has produced
outstanding results. I see no reason why it can’t work for Sierra Leone,” added
Tejan Lamboi, the second facilitator.
From the government there were
representatives from the Social Welfare Ministry in the form of a social
welfare officer, while the ministry of health was represented by a planning
officer, Alusine Kamara.
The involvement of the government is
crucial because whatever is generated from the three days conference is
expected to be presented to the authorities for action.
The organizers also said the top 10
projects that emanated from about a dozen breakout sessions would be considered
for possible funding.
The issues that came up from
participants showed how much concerned Sierra Leoneans were about the country’s
healthcare situation. From teenage pregnancy to availability of drugs, as well
as accountability and responsibility of authorities in charge of healthcare,
all formed the core of the concerns that came up at both the plenary and
breakout sessions.
Other participants drew attention to
poor road network and how this affects healthcare delivery, especially in poor
and remote communities. All these will form part of a policy document to be
presented to the government.
(C) Politico 09/02/16
No comments:
Post a Comment