Eric Byrne (Dublin South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. I lived in Africa for four years and know it very well. We returned relatively recently from Sierra Leone. I thank Mr. Andrews, who applauded the work of our embassy in Freetown. In our last meeting I specifically asked about the welfare of our staff. At the time three women were employed, one of whom is now the ambassador, and they are phenomenal workers. I hope to hear in the answer session that they have been fully briefed on the nature of the illness and are protected or know how to take the proper precautions. As was said, they interact with government ministers in the field. We met a nun in the hospital for the disadvantaged and saw the health services.

Quite frankly, the hospitals we saw before the outbreak of ebola were pathetic. We saw huge numbers of mothers feeding their babies at a clinic. There were health services in place but they looked rather unhealthy. We visited a hospital in Freetown which was not a hospital as we would know St. James's Hospital or St. Vincent's hospital to be. GOAL has asked medical professionals to volunteer, which I support. We have statistics on the deaths of front-line workers. I remember being emotional when I heard that the doctor who led the campaign against ebola in Sierra Leone was infected. There was a major debate about whether he should be given drugs. How can the board reassure any voluntary nurse or health care worker who may want to volunteer for humanitarian work that the systems in Africa are capable of protecting their welfare? The figures relating to the deaths of nurses and front-line workers such as ambulance workers are frightening. If they are not protected and operating within the proper guidelines it will mitigate against those who wish to volunteer.

Is the fact that the area of Liberia affected is war-torn and the infrastructure very weak a contributory factor? What was the strategy of the three-day lockdown in Sierra Leone, and did the delegation support it? What was its purpose and did it succeed? Is it a plan that can be mimicked across the board?

I refer to the departmental presentation which referred to ebola in Nigeria and the Congo. I am particularly interested in Nigeria and Lagos. The presentation said the situation was fundamentally different. Is the strain of ebola in Lagos the same as that which affects Freetown? I ask for reassurance because I have a brother-in-law who regularly visits Lagos as part of the oil industry. Why did the presentation state that the strain of ebola in Lagos was different and not as dangerous as that affecting Freetown?