Nurses at the C. H. Rennie Memorial Hospital in Kakata, Margibi County have abandoned work for fear of contracting the Ebola virus following the death of a patient last Thursday.
According to the Liberia News Agency, the nurses said they lack Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to treat any would-be Ebola patient at the hospital.
They said in the absence of the necessary protective equipment it was dangerous to their lives, families and communities to continue to attend to Ebola cases.
The nurses have therefore vowed not to return to work until the necessary PPEs and other safeguards are provided for health workers dealing with Ebola cases.
According to a Health Ministry press release issued here Monday, at least five healthcare workers are among the 49 Ebola deaths recorded as at June 29 across the country.
It can be recalled that on June 26, a trainee of the Kakata Rural Teachers Training Institute, Michael Tengbeh, 35, died at the C.H. Rennie Hospital after testing positive for the Ebola virus.
The incident also led authorities of the hospital to send home 10 nurses that were on duty that day for 21 days after coming in contact with the late Tengbeh.
When LINA contacted the Administrator of the C.H. Rennie, Raymond Cassel, he confirmed that the nurses had abandoned work at the hospital.
He, however, said the Ministry of Health was doing everything possible to ensure the availability of personal protective equipment for every health worker in Margibi County.
He disclosed that they have called an emergency meeting to persuade the nurses to resume duty pending the arrival of the protective equipment at the hospital.
He also revealed that the hospital needed spraying following last week's death of an Ebola patient at the facility.
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