OATUU applauds health workers

A statement by Labour leader Owei Lakemfa expressed the gratitude of the working people of Africa to doctors and health workers who are in the frontline of the struggle against Ebola.He noted that many doctors and health workers have put their lives on the line in the process of fighting against the deadly disease.“We are […]

A statement by Labour leader Owei Lakemfa expressed the gratitude of the working people of Africa to doctors and health workers who are in the frontline of the struggle against Ebola.
He noted that many doctors and health workers have put their lives on the line in the process of fighting against the deadly disease.
“We are particularly touched by the heroic struggles of health workers like Dr. Sheik Hummar Khan of Sierra Leone who consciously threw themselves into the thick of the battle, tragically got infected and succumbed.
“We pray that they rest in perfect peace and that God gives their families and loved ones the fortitude to bear their painful loss.
“African workers are also quite grateful to internationalists from outside our continent who came to our aid and got infected in the process.
“Our hearts go out to the Americans; Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol who were infected in the process of fighting Ebola and who are back home for treatment,” the OATUU said.
OATUU also expressed solidarity with the workers and people of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia who have had to bear the brunt of the current outbreak, and their governments that have shown remarkable leadership and courage in taking on Ebola.
Lakemfa said the workers union appeals to other African countries not to engage in the panic of shutting their borders.
“What is required is not spreading fear; rather, it is to stop Ebola spreading. If a country shuts its borders to prevent its neighbours from crossing, it cannot stop its nationals returning from neighbouring countries,” he pointed.
He also said Ebola does not require visa, adding that is better to follow the example of the United States by taking measures to fight Ebola in realization of the fact that given air travel and multiple citizenship, to contain and confine the disease in the area it is ravaging, before it spreads to other parts of the world.
OATUU thanks organizations such as Doctors Without Borders and the African Development Bank, and countries like Nigeria who have committed financial resources to the continental fight back against Ebola.
The OATUU urged the international community including the United Nations  to organize a robust defence against this global challenge.