Fallen Heroes: A Tribute To The Health Workers Who Died Of Ebola
More than 360 African health workers died of Ebola this year. Some of them made headlines around the world, such as Dr. Umar Sheik Khan, the Sierra Leonean physician who treated more than 100 Ebola patients before contracting the disease himself.
But most of the fallen health workers didn’t get that degree of attention. They were doctors, nurses, midwives, lab technicians. They didn’t have the proper protective equipment. As they tried to save the lives of others, they sacrificed their own.
The loss is tremendous. Liberia, for example, a nation of 4.3 million, had only about 50 doctors before the Ebola outbreak. The country has reportedly lost four of them to the epidemic.
In some West African clinics and medical facilities, the faces of the lost health workers stare out from tribute walls: Photos of the deceased are posted in hallways outside offices and examination rooms. A person’s name and job may be scrawled in ink underneath the photo, along with a personal note.
At Kenema Government Hospital in Sierra Leone, the messages included:
“Angie, We all love U but God loves U. May her soul rest in perfect peace.”
“Gone but not forgotten. R.I.P.”
“Another fallen hero.”
Photo: Theses 32 health workers are among the 360-plus who sacrificed their lives in the fight against Ebola. Their names are listed at the bottom of the post. The photos are displayed at the Liberian Midwives Association in Monrovia. (NPR Composite)