The Editor,
ELWA–Radio Station and Hospital–has been an American philanthropic powerhouse for decades perhaps going back to the 1960s or earlier, spreading the Gospel of Jesua Christ and providing quality healthcare to ALL. I was fortunate to have worked at Radio ELWA from the late 1970s to the early 1980s as a newscaster and football commentator alongside such giants as Railey Gompah and the late Moses Washington. My cousin Gabriel Nimley, former Minister of Information was a product of Radio ELWA.
Now, I am sure ELWA Hospital should have a say as to the cause of death of Mr. John Teah. Mr. Teah was admitted at the Hospital on Wednesday and died on Friday. Are you saying ELWA Hospital does not have the sophistication to medically determine the cause of death/autopsy of Mr. Teah? If Mr. Teah died from the Coronavirus or from other causes, the Hospital has an obligation to inform the family first, and then to tell the government later if he died from the Coronavirus.
Common sense tells you that the National Public Health Institute of Liberia Coronavirus Task Force should have had teams assigned at every major medical center and Ports of Entry throughout Montserrado and Margibi Counties that fall under the Coronavirus National Health Emergency Declaration imposed nearly two weeks now. Is the Coronavirus Task Force testing all dead bodies in Montserrado and Margibi Counties? If not then why was it necessary to test Mr. Teah after he died and not when he was alive and admitted at the ELWA Hospital? Just curious.
Liberians were told by the Minister of Health, Dr. Jallah that the World Health Organization (WHO) donated “20,000 test kits” to Liberia to help fight Covid-19. Or, the least the Task Force could do is to train and provide experts and test kits at all hospitals in Montserrado and Margibi Counties. Now Mr. Teah’s family members, already traumatized from his death, have been arrested in an effort to determine if they too are infected but could be done in a humane manner.
The government’s testing system has been flawed from the beginning and politicized where they “pick-and-choose” who is tested and not tested. ANC opposition party leader Alex Cummings is an example who was subjected to be quarantined after he returned from a visit to Ghana. Ironically, some lawmakers and cabinet ministers and the Mayor of Monrovia recently visited Corona hot zone countries including Sweden, France, Italy and Ghana and did not undergo the government designated, dilapidated mandatory quarantine hotels, some with no running water, electricity and flush toilets. Instead, the big shots chose to “self-quarantine” in their homes.
Add to the capacity of the government the $40 million worth of test kits, face masks, hand gloves, gowns and hand sanitizers that America donated to Liberia this week. Corona could be more deadlier than the 2014 Ebola outbreak that killed nearly 5,000 Liberians. The Coronavirus does not discriminate based on one’s social status and position in government as we are witnessing in other countries. Hope Ebola taught us some lessons. Again, our broken and neglected healthcare system is being exposed. Town trap not for rat alone.
Just a thought and not a sermon.
Jerry Wehtee Wion,
Washington, DC, USA