Ganta, Nimba County – An international organization, Action Against Hunger, with funding from Agence Française de Développement (AFD) has donated a brand new Toyota Ambulance to the Ministry of Health through the Nimba County Health Team.
The donation was made at the Nimba County Health Team offices in Sanniquellie, Nimba County recently as part of efforts geared towards mitigating the spread of the virus and helping to contain it.
Nimba County is among three selected counties (Montserrado, Margibi & Nimba) where the AFD emergency response to COVID-19 project is being implemented.
Action Against Hunger’s Emergency Coordinator, Rachel Jlateh said the donation of the ambulance is among several deliverables of the project to county health team and will continue to support county.
She recounted Action Against Hunger support to the county health team prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus, including supporting the county health team on the nutritious project and UNICEF lead project.
“After the outbreak, we came out with a proposal and a project which started July, 2020 and will be ending June, 2021,” she said.
“We have been working in Nimba and it has been unique because there is no other partner working with the county health team so we been implementing COVID-19 project, which include health support with infection, prevention and control,” Madam Jlateh said.
Madam Jlateh said some of the deliverables included support to staff, support to COVID-19 Surveillance and distribution of infection, prevention and control to health centers and the project will continue until July of this year.
Nimba County Health Officer, Dr. Netty Joe expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Health for identifying Action Against Hunger to support the health team against COVID-19.
“A good referral in the county requires reflection on capacity to handle emergency. We have few ambulances but most of them are down now. If we spend money, after one month, it’s down. Most of our funding is used to repair ambulance. Sometimes, when you give our financial report, people are more concerned about money used to repair ambulance,” Dr. Joe said.
Dr. Joe said Action Against Hunger continues to be strategic in terms of its support and sees the donation of the ambulance as a dream comes true, and promised to ensure that the ambulance is used for its intended purpose.
However, according to report, of the total number of 2113 confirmed cases in Liberia since the outbreak, Nimba County accounts for 72 confirmed cases with 11 death, and 61 recoveries, thus making her one of the epic centers of the virus.
Nimba County quickly became a county of concentration due to its proximity with Guinea, Ivory Coast where high cases of COVID have been reported boarding country with Ivory Coast and Guinea.
The current AFD emergency Response to COVID 19 , aims to flatten the curve of the pandemic and provide more time for response and smoothen the impact for the most vulnerable and at-risk groups.
The project aims to reduce COVID-19 incidence among health workers and in the general population, ensure the continuity of the health services, reduce fear and miss-information, increase hand washing practices, and ensure that the households at risk have a social safety net during quarantine and the wider epidemic period.