Ballito nurse to treat Ebola patients in Sierra Leone
Dream come true for nurse to help people with Ebola.
Going to a West African country to treat thousands of patients with a dangerous and highly contagious disease is not for the faint hearted.
But for Laura Mosiah, a nurse from Ballito, it is a dream come true.
She will be going to Sierra Leone along with a group of professional nurses from all over the country with the Right to Care non-government organisation (NGO) to treat Ebola patients.
Right to Care has recruited and trained the first round of healthcare professionals to work in Sierra Leone as part of the SA initiative with the Health department and the Wits Health Consortium for the Ebola Emergency Response.
“When I first heard about the Ebola crisis last year, I said to myself, I am going to West Africa to help,” said Mosiah.
“I could not just sit back, watch what was happening and not do anything to help,” said Mosiah, who back home, is currently unemployed.
She has been serving as a private nurse for her mother who suffered a stroke last year.
Her mom has since recovered.
“When the Right to Care NGO said they were looking for nurses to go to Sierra Leone to treat Ebola patients, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands.”
Mosiah applied for the job and within a few weeks she flew to Johannesburg to start training.
She said the training was very exciting.
“It is incredible to learn how our protective suits were made and how they work. It is just mind blowing that someone developed these suits that enable us to safely help hundreds of people.”
To prevent contamination, Mosiah was taught how to get out of the suit without touching anything.
“We had to walk around in the suits to get used to wearing them in hot temperatures, and I can tell you that it gets really warm in that suit.”
Temperatures in Sierra Leone rise easily above 40 degrees Celsius.
With this training, Mosiah said the doors have been flung open for them.
“We are now trained and qualified to assist anywhere in the world and treat patients with these diseases. Hopefully we will be considered as people who are able to handle these crisis situations if they were to arise in South Africa,” said Mosiah.
After all the training and medicals, Mosiah could not wait to start working.
“I have always had the desire to help, especially in areas in the world where there is nothing.”
Mosiah and the Right to Care team left for Sierra Leone on Friday, January 23.
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