On Thursday, 28 February 2019, the U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Maria E. Brewer, handed over Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth over US$ 165,000 to the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, 34 Military Hospital. The U.S. Department of State’s Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR), in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Freetown, donated these PPE designated for the military, other first-line diagnostic laboratories, and other first responders in the fight against infectious diseases in Sierra Leone.

With this donation, the RSLAF will be better equipped to safely respond to infectious disease outbreaks including Ebola virus. What’s more, these PPE—which include respirators, goggles, gloves, biohazard waste bags, and bars of soap—will be distributed to all clinics countrywide that handle infectious disease patients. This includes the newly opened hospital in Daru. These added supplies will help to foster universal precaution and have the potential to save lives in a future emergency.

The Commanding Officer of the Joint Medical Unit (JMU) gave the opening remarks at the handing over ceremony. The Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Brima Sesay and the Chief of the Office of Security Cooperation, LCDR Kyle Krieger, also gave individual statements. The U.S. Ambassador, Maria Brewer, in her statement commended the RSLAF leadership for their tremendous collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Embassy. She said that this donation to the JMU is one of a series of donations including that of a Mobile Health Caravan, which was delivered in December of 2018. She affirmed that the U.S. Embassy’s support to the 34 Military Hospital continues to grow and evolve. This donation is just one example of how the partnership between our two nations is producing meaningful results.

In her concluding remarks, she added that the U.S. Embassy looks forward to a future safe and secure from infectious disease outbreaks and hopes for many more productive years of working together with the RSLAF.