Liberia: Plastic, Burn Surgeons Arrive to Treat Totota Explosion Victims
… As President Weah declares week of national mourning
A team of medical practitioners specializing in burn treatment and plastic surgery has arrived in the country from neighboring Sierra Leone to assist in the recovery process of victims of the recent tanker explosion tragedy in Totota, Bong County.
Led by Charles Senesie, Sierra Leone’s Acting Minister of Health, the team consists of two plastic and burn surgeons and other specialist nurses.
“We are glad as a country to identify with Liberia during this troubling time,” Senesie said as he conveyed President Julius Maada Bio’s sympathies and condolences to the Liberian people and the government. “President Bio and the people of Sierra Leone remain grateful to Liberia. And our visit to Liberia is a testament to the long-standing relationship between countries.”
The team will be in Liberia for the next two weeks to support their Liberian counterparts in providing care to the injured.
To ensure the victims’ full recovery, the Sierra Leonean team brought essential medical drugs and equipment to enhance their surgical work during their stay in Liberia. Upon their arrival, they held a joint scientific meeting with Liberian surgeons and other medical specialists in Monrovia. They also visited various hospitals where the gas explosion victims are being treated.
Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, Liberia’s Minister of Health, expressed gratitude to President Bio for sending the medical team to aid in the ongoing response efforts. She described their arrival as a significant boost to managing the cases and assisting in the recovery of those affected by the tragic explosion.
“The coming of the team is indeed in the spirit of regional solidarity and cooperation among member states,” she said. “We will deploy you along with your Liberian counterparts to treat the victims of the gas tanker explosion. Members of your team will be dispatched to hospitals and health centers currently attending to victims.”
This assistance from Sierra Leone comes after Liberia dispatched 200 specialist medical practitioners to Sierra Leone in May 2022 during an Anthrax outbreak and provided aid during the Ebola pandemic in 2014.
As of now, the gas explosion in Totota has resulted in the deaths of at least 70 individuals. The Ministry of Health has identified 152 cases, including two women. Currently, 61 people between the ages of 10 and 57 are admitted and receiving care at six health facilities across the country.
In response to the gas explosion, the Ministry of Health has implemented various public health actions, including coordination, case management, risk communication, and community engagement.
Coordination efforts involve activating the Incident Management System Health Cluster and holding daily meetings to ensure effective response coordination. Identified cases are being admitted and managed in hospitals, and missing individuals are being searched for.
Mental health and psychosocial support are also being provided to healthcare workers and caregivers.
Meanwhile, President George Weah has declared a week of national mourning, beginning on Sunday, January 7, 2024. He expressed deep concern over the incident and called on prelates and houses of worship to pray for the affected families and the injured. Flags on public buildings will be flown at half-mast during this period of mourning.
The gas tanker explosion occurred on December 26, 2023, in Totota when the tanker accidentally ran into a drainage. Locals were attempting to extract the petroleum product from the tanker when more than a dozen of them died instantly from the inferno.
The Ministry of Health has implemented public health measures to respond to the incident, including ongoing awareness activities in affected communities. The number of deaths has tragically risen as many victims with significant burns have succumbed to their injuries.