Seychelles’ Ebola plan put to the test |21 November 2014

The effectiveness of the various plans and protocols Seychelles has put in place in the event of an Ebola outbreak in the country have been put to test.
This was done through a table-top exercise organised by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the Division of Risk and Disaster Management (DRDM).

The exercise took place yesterday in the conference room of the Kempinski Resort at Baie Lazare.

Present at the exercise were the principal secretary for health, Peggy Vidot; the deputy chief executive of the Health Care Agency Danny Louange; the public health commissioner Jude Gedeon; representative of the British high commission and other dignitaries from both the Ministry of Health and DRDM.

In his opening remarks Dr Gedeon spoke of the raison d’être of such an exercise and gave an update and overview of the Ebola crisis.

He said that the epidemic rages on despite all human efforts to tackle it, adding that the media has done its best to keep us informed albeit the pictures seen and the news heard have often created fear, panic and desperation.

“The outbreak has brought out the worst in some, but in the most part it has also shown the resilience of people. As it has been getting from bad to worse, we came to realise that the chance of its introduction here in Seychelles was very real,” said Mr Gedeon.

He said several bold and unpopular measures were immediately taken and today we see that they were necessary and remain very relevant.

“Human and material resources have been dedicated for preparedness. I have been encouraged by the level of commitment I see in you and many others who cannot be here today,” said Dr Gedeon.

He thanked all for making the issue their priority despite other pressing work responsibilities adding that the Ebola epidemic is indeed a priority, and daring to say, a matter of life or death.

Dr Gedeon said that this exercise would take all delegates through the motion, to see how prepared they are and also pick out the gaps with a view to further improving their effectiveness.

He thanked all for their various roles they are playing in the prevention process and the DRDM team for mostly working on the logistics.

Dr Gedeon mentioned countries which have reported cases with the most affected being Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leonne. Nigeria and Senegal have been declared free with France, Austria, United States, Germany and England being countries who have brought in Ebola infected patients to be treated. Generally there have been over 15,000 reported cases with over 5,000 deaths. If an infected person is captured early, the chance of survival is very high.

Giving a brief summary of the local preparedness plan in the event Ebola lands on our shores, Dr Gedeon mentioned all the logistics and plans already in place.

These include a special committee that meets regulary once or twice a week; an Ebola response plan; communication plan being developed; six-month indicated budget; a standard operating procedure being developed; continuous and ongoing training; stocking of materials to name some.

Dr Gedeon advised everyone to always wash their hands Ebola or not.

As for the representative of the Red Cross Colette Servina, she explained the content, objectives and set up of the exercise which were broken down in four categories: introduction of players, facilitators and observers; the objectives; instructions and engagement.