By Foday Moriba Conteh
In order to provide updates on the workforce rationalization, epidemiological data, finances and other related matters in the COVID-19 response in the country, the National COVID-19 Emergency Response Centre (NaCOVERC), has on Monday 26th October, 2020 held a session with Journalists and Civil Society activists. The event was held at the Bank Complex, Kingtom in Freetown.
Giving an update on key considerations by the National COVID-19 Emergency Response, Spokesperson of the National COVID-19 Emergency Response Center (NACOVERC), Solomon Jamiru Esq. stated that Sierra Leone announced its index case on the 31st March 2020 at a time when the entire country could boast of only a 30 bed isolation center at the 34 Military Hospital, Freetown, for COVID-19 related cases.
He added that presently there is about a thousand bed capacity for Community Treatment Centers (CTCs) and Community Care Centers ICCCs) combined, and currently, not up to 5% of the capacity is occupied.
Solomon Jamiru further revealed that Six WHO-certified COVID-19 Laboratories have been established in the course of the Response (four in the Western Area, one in Makeni and one in Kenema): with plans to broaden the scope of Laboratories nationwide.
He said this is the 30th week of the outbreak in Sierra Leone and the epi-data indicates a general downward trend in cases and the last three months have seen a considerable decline in cases nationwide as well as limited number of persons in Quarantine (all of whom are in home-quarantine). Jamiru furthered that with a total bed capacity for CTCs and CCCs at 997 only 39 beds are occupied; with the bulk of active cases in home isolation.
It against such a backdrop, he pointed out that it is very obvious that the large workforce (over 9,000) has been maintained for the duration of the Response to date, which, he said, has contributed immensely to COVID-19 disease prevention and control, ensuring that cases have not spiraled out of control.
He maintained that given the epi-data, it is clearly not prudent and fiscally sustainable to maintain the current workforce.
“As COVID-19 has had significant impact on sectors of our society, rationalizing the current workforce would relieve Government’s fiscal space tremendously and make room for a good percentage of the funds to be directed to the payment of risk allowances to personnel, to be repurposed and refocused on other priority areas (including health and emergency Systems strengthening),” he maintained stating that notably, personnel affected by the rationalization are already largely employed and receiving remuneration from Government.
The Spokesperson of the National COVID-19 Emergency Response Center (NACOVERC), Solomon Jamiru Esq. further stated that the rationalization, however, doesn’t mean that the COVID-19 outbreak in Sierra Leone is over, as evidence across the world indicates that the virus is still very active and could resurge in Sierra Leone.
He added that consequently, the workforce is being rationalized with this factor very much in mind and the strategy being put in place makes provision for rapid upscaling should the need arise.
On his part, Deputy Coordinator National COVID-19 Emergency Response Center (NACOVERC), Sheku Bangura gave an update on the status of finance of the COVID-19 Response.
He stated that NACOVERC has received the total of about 212, 014, 768, 377.62 Billion Leones and they have disbursed Le171, 133,179,030.27 Billion Leones, leaving a balance of 40,881,589,347.35 Billion Leones in the coffers.
Sheku Bangura added that their books are always open for inquiry saying they will continue to maintain an open door policy.
He assured the people of Sierra Leone that they are fully committed to public accountability and transparency in the management and use of public funds allocated to them in the fight against COVID-19 in the country.
He revealed that they have been cooperating with the Audit Service Sierra Leone and doing real-time audits, as well as responding to audit queries promptly to enhance transparency and accountability in the use of public funds in order to ensure that they fight the fight and win it. The Deputy Coordinator National COVID-19 of the Emergency Response Center (NACOVERC), Sheku Bangura, further added that they want to give confidence to the people of Sierra Leone that theirs is a decisive and focused leadership which is guided by a technical and scientific advisory team to take any decision at any point in time in the fight against COVID-19 in Sierra Leone.
So what is the leaked information on the Africanist Newspaper website that the Attorney General is blocking the Auditor General’s team to audit the Covid-19 funds?
Someone somewhere is not saying the truth. Can the auditor general put the public at ease with the truth.