PRESS RELEASE
THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY INFORMED THAT AS THE UNPRECEDENTED OUTBREAK OF THE DREADFUL EBOLA DISEASE CONTINUES TO CLAIM THE LIVES OF MANY OF OUR CITIZENS, OUR FRIENDS AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS HAVE SCALED UP THEIR SUPPORT TO SIERRA LEONE WITH A VIEW TO BRINGING THE EPIDEMIC UNDER CONTROL. THIS HEIGHTENED SUPPORT INCLUDES THE DEPLOYMENT OF TRAINED MEDICAL PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT AND THE PLANNED ESTABLISHMENT OF WELL-EQUIPPED WITHHOLDING AND TREATMENT CENTRES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
DUE TO THE DIVERSITY OF THE RESOURCES BEING PROVIDED AND THE INTENSITY OF THE ACTIVITIES TO BE UNDERTAKEN, IT HAS BECOME NECESSARY TO RECONFIGURE THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTRE (EOC) INTO A SEPARATE ENTITY THAT WILL HAVE A ROBUST COMMAND AND CONTROL STRUCTURE TO EFFECTIVELY ERADICATE EBOLA. IN THAT REGARD, THE EOC HAS BEEN RENAMED THE NATIONAL EBOLA RESPONSE CENTRE (NERC) WHICH WILL BE LOCATED TOGETHER WITH THE UNITED NATIONS MISSION FOR EBOLA EMERGENCY RESPONSE (UNMEER) AT THE PREMISES OF THE FORMER SPECIAL COURT FOR SIERRA LEONE AT NEW ENGLAND IN FREETOWN. THE GOVERNING BODY OF NERC WILL BE HEADED BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT.
IT HAS PLEASED HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT TO APPOINT MAJOR (RTD) ALFRED PALO CONTEH AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF NERC ON SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT FROM HIS CURRENT POSITION AS MINISTER OF DEFENCE. WHILE HE IS ON SPECIAL DUTIES, HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT WILL PROVIDE GENERAL OVERSIGHT OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE.
THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER WILL HAVE FULL AUTHORITY FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL EBOLA RESPONSE PLAN (NERP) AND ALL
PROGRAMMES PERTAINING THERETO AND HE WILL TOGETHER WITH OTHER PLAYERS DEVELOP A SYNCHRONIZATION MATRIX THAT WILL ENSURE THE EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINED UTILIZATION OF THE MASSIVE SUPPORT COMING INTO SIERRA LEONE FROM DIVERSE SOURCES FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST EBOLA. IT WILL ALSO BE HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO REGULARLY BRIEF HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT ON THE PROGRESS BEING MADE IN FIGHTING THE DISEASE.
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STATE HOUSE
FREETOWN 17TH OCTOBER, 2014
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