ASEOWA TAKES CHARGE OF THE EBOLA TREATMENT CENTRE IN BOMBALI DISTRICT, SIERRA LEONE

Bombali, Sierra Leone 24 November 2014: The African Union Support to the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa, ASEOWA in Sierra Leone has received the go-ahead for the management of the newly completed Ebola Treatment Centre in Magbenteh, Bombali District of Sierra Leone. The coordination of the Treatment Centre will be run in partnership with the Ministry of Health of Sierra Leone. President Ernest Bai Koroma, while commissioning the treatment centre on Sunday 16th November 2014, commended the efforts of the African Union in providing medical personnel in fighting against the Ebola Virus Disease.
The Magbenteh treatment centre, with a bed space capacity of one hundred is scheduled to receive its first six Ebola patients on Monday 24th November 2014. The treatment centre is expected to ease the backlog of sick patients at the Arab, Paramedic, Government and Kamakwe holding centres in Bombali District, where Ebola patients were held pending their transfer to Kailahun, a neighboring District, for treatment.
Simulation exercises at the Treatment Centre took place on 22nd and 23rd of November in preparation for admitting Ebola patients to the treatment centre. The activities included linking ambulance with triage, admitting patients, giving treatment, spraying ambulance, decontaminating staff from ETU, taking blood samples, giving out sundries and drugs and collecting medical waste. The exercise also identified gaps that were later addressed.
ASEOWA is tasked with the overall coordination of the Treatment Centre as well as management of principal departments of the Treatment Centre such as Clinical, Infection Prevention Control, Triage, Surveillance, Logistics and Pharmacy.
The African Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa through the Executive Council Decision at its Sixteenth Extraordinary Session held on 8th September 2014 in Addis Ababa has been deploying medical and human resource capacities in response to the Ebola Virus Outbreak in West Africa.

For media inquiries contact:
Wynne Musabayana | Deputy Head of Division | Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission | Tel: (251) 11 551 77 00 | Fax: (251) 11 551 78 44 | E-mail: MusabayanaW@africa-union.org | Web: www.au.int|Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

Temitope Famuyide | Humanitarian Affairs Officer | ASEOWA, Bombali, Sierra Leone| Tel: +232 76796445 | E-mail: tpfamuyide@gmail.com | Web: www.au.int|Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dinfo@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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