Jay Ireland, President & CEO, GE Africa, who made the announcement at the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York, USA; said the donation will help launch an effective coalition, led by Partners in Health and Last Mile Health against Ebola in the affected countries.
In conjunction with the Liberian and Sierra Leonean Ministries of Health, Ireland disclosed that the coalition will execute the project in four rural counties/districts of Grand Gedeh, Rivercess and Nimba in Liberia as well as Kono District in Sierra Leone.
His words: “GE is proud to support the Coalition with Partners in Health to scale – up Ebola response efforts and rebuild rural primary health systems in West Africa. Fighting Ebola requires a comprehensive strategy – from Ebola treatment in hospitals to revitalizing primary health care and community-based services – that could transform how the world responds to epidemics and rebuilds public health systems.”
Under the scheme, GE expects the Coalition with Partners in health to train and support 800 community health workers to carry out community-based education, prevention, surveillance/monitoring and maintaining essential health services in 500 villages in the sub-region.
Ireland disclosed that Partners in Health will also work with Wellbody Alliance and other private sector partners on a broader response effort in Sierra Leone.
The Coalition has a cumulative experience of over 40 years in Liberia and Sierra Leone partnering with Health Ministries across the world to strengthen health systems.
The current Ebola outbreak is the largest and first in West Africa. In fact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said over 5800 people have contracted the disease in Guinea, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone. WHO recently said more than 2800 people had died in West Africa as a result of EVD infection.
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