Sierra Leone News: Ghanaians honour Dr. Khan at country’s 58th Independence Anniversary

Politics

The Ghanaian High Commissioner to Sierra Leone in collaboration with Ghanaians in country used their country’s 58th Independence Anniversary to honour and recognize the contributions and sacrifices of the late Dr. Sheik Umar Khan and the host of health workers who lost their lives in the fight to eliminate the ebola virus disease in the country. The event took place at the Hill Station residence of the Ghanaian High Commissioner and the guests included members of the Khan family including the late doctor’s daughter, son, sister, elder brother and niece. According to the High Commissioner, Rtd. Major General Carl S. Modey, due to the present State of Emergency, they are not celebrating their country’s 58th Anniversary in the usual traditional manner, rather, they are using the moment to recognize the heroism of the late Dr. Khan and other health workers and also to sensitize the Ghanaian community in Sierra Leone about the ebola disease using Ghana’s local dialects. He disclosed that they paid special attention to the late Dr. Khan because he spent the last three of his four years in Ghana at the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital where he was awarded the Member West African College of Physicians (MWACP) before meeting his death past July in active service. High Commissioner Modey said that the Ghanaian government and people had identified the late Dr. Khan as their son because of his contributions at the hospital when he was there, saying that his death was a big loose to both the people of Ghana and the Korle-bu hospital as one of the few viral specialists. “As part of our traditions, I sent a delegation to the house of Dr. Khan in Lungi for them to ask for our son. It was confirmed that the rumour we heard was true that he had died as a result of the disease he was fighting hard to eradicate,” he recalled. According to him, good traditions are worth maintaining but bad ones like the washing of dead body at this particular time should be discouraged, explaining that it is necessary for people to be ready to do sacrifice for the development of their country ‘just as our fore fathers and the medical practitioner did to achieve independent and eradicate the ebola in the country respectively’. Representing the Khan’s family in the event, the senior brother of the late Dr. Sheik Umar Khan, Mr. C-Ray Khan, expressed thanks and appreciation to the Ghanaian High Commissioner together with his people and Government for being the second country after USA to recognize the work of the late Dr. Khan. He maintained that the concern and care showed by these two countries, have leaved them with the hope that their brother was a true hero in performing his duty, adding that after he (Dr. Khan) completed his programme at the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, he rejected several offers from Ghana and Nigeria just to serve his people back home with integrity and love for humanity. The programme was climax with a symbolic presentation of rice, vegetable, salt, onions, provision and a small parcel containing some amount of money, to the Khan’s family as a good gesture. By Alhaji M. Kamara Thursday March 12, 2015

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