EU & Emergency ngo support the areas most affected by Ebola Virus Disease: Port Loko and Western Area districts

The Delegation of the European Union to Sierra Leone and the EMERGENCY NGO, announce the beginning of a two year project in the Port Loko and Western Area districts. The project, entitled “Strengthening surgical and trauma health response in two most affected areas by Ebola in Sierra Leone: Port Loko and Western Area”, is co-funded by the European Union and is implemented with close involvement of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS), and in collaboration with the Love Bridges and ENGIM.

The main aim of the project is to strengthen human resources capacity in responding to emergencies in areas where Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) contagion has been the highest and where the health sector needs support (Western Area and Port Loko).

The project will focus on the establishment of two First Aid Trauma Posts in Waterloo and Lokomasama and a referral network to the EMERGENCY Surgical Centre. Furthermore, EMERGENCY will train national health workers on trauma stabilization, treatment, safe referral services and surgical assistance. EMERGENCY has designed this project, with the support of the European Union and in agreement with the local authorities and other stakeholders, in order to tackle the problem of unmet health needs of the population of Port Loko and Western Area districts. By opening two health centres and training health workers, the project will put in place a structured referral system for trauma and surgery, in order to improve health service delivery and awareness in the most afflicted districts by EVD in Sierra Leone.

The project also aims to build a health based culture among health workers and the communities through the provision of training, awareness sessions on trauma and surgery services delivery. The health promotion sessions will address the communities living close to the two health centres and will also provide information about good hygiene practise, IPC procedures, prevention of EVD transmission and the importance of timely access to health facilities in case of need.

Through the implementation of the project, EMERGENCY will reach more than 700.000 inhabitants living in Port Loko District and Waterloo, and the communities living in surrounding areas. The project will benefit the whole health sector thanks to the establishment of the referral system, the supply of training on-the-job to the national health workers, and the provision of free of charge healthcare services.