Liberia

Attacks on Health Facilities, Staff, Patients

Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Attacks on medical facilities, health workers, and patients have occurred in at least 17 countries undergoing conflict and civil unrest since January 2014, Human Rights Watch and the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition said in a joint report issued today. The report was released at the annual meeting of health ministers from around the world in Geneva from May 18-26, 2015. The 22-page report, “Attacks on Health: Global Report,” highlights recent attacks in countries around the world.

Mistrust and Machetes Thwart Efforts to Contain Ebola in Guinea

Tuesday, February 10, 2015
As new cases of Ebola rose at the start of February in Guinea, violent attacks on health workers and aid teams increase. "People tell us if we don't leave they'll beat us up, or smash up the car," said Paquile Zoglelemou, head of the Red Cross in Lola, a town set in thick, tropical jungle in the deep southeast of Guinea near the Liberian border.

Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition Urges the World Health Organization to Reinforce Its Commitment to Protect Health Workers from Violence

Friday, January 30, 2015
In January, IntraHealth International submitted a statement on behalf of the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition to the World Health Organization’s Executive Board Meeting in Geneva. Submitted as part of agenda item 8.2, poliomyelitis, the full text of the statement is below and also published by the WHO along with other statements by NGOs that are in official relations with the WHO. IntraHealth is a steering committee member of the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition.

Safeguarding Health: A Global Health and Humanitarian Priority

Wednesday, January 21, 2015
In late December, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling for actions by States to protect health workers from violence and to assure patients access to health care in situations of conflict or insecurity. This resolution has the potential to be a milestone in the protection of health workers and patients throughout the world. It recognizes the protection of health care as a human right everywhere, at all times, and that States must be proactive in realizing it.

Fear, Trust, and Attacks on Ebola Workers

Wednesday, September 24, 2014
As health workers fan out across the Ebola-stricken areas of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, they are facing a battle on two fronts: fighting Ebola and addressing the fears, rumors, and myths of those at risk of Ebola. Sadly, those fears, rooted in a lack of understanding of a deadly disease never seen before in these countries and a long history of corruption and mistrust of government, has led to health workers being attacked and killed.

Ebola Crisis: Confusion as Patients Vanish in Liberia

Sunday, August 17, 2014
An angry mob attacked the quarantine centre in Monrovia's densely populated West Point township on Saturday evening. Rebecca Wesseh, who witnessed the attack, told the AFP news agency: "They broke down the door and looted the place. The patients have all gone. "The attackers, mostly young men armed with clubs, shouted insults about President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and yelled "there's no Ebola", she said, adding that nurses had also fled the centre.