By Mohamed T. Massaquoi
A group of civil society organizations in Sierra Leone have called on the government to set aside the rights of privacy of Coronavirus infected persons in the interest of public safety.
The Civil Society Working Group on Epidemics and Natural Disasters, which says its membership comprises more than 30 organizations, said the identities of all those infected should be made public so that people can know who they are and be able to better protect themselves against transmission.
The activists made the call at a press briefing last week Thursday, as part of the launching of a report on the three days nationwide lockdown.
Lawyer Rashid Dumbuya, National Coordinator for the consortium, said transparency was crucial if the government could effectively handle the spread of Covid-19.
“I am a human rights lawyer; I should be the number one person to fight for people’s rights. But in this one, public interest supersedes the private interest. Transparency should be shown by the EOC [Emergency Operations Center] to let the people of Sierra Leone know who and who has been affected with the coronavirus. Hiding the identity of the affected people will undermine effective tracing of primary contacts, isolation and quarantine and even possible support from the public in the process,” he said.
The issue of doctor-patient confidentiality has dominated public discourse of late. Those calling for the disclosure of the identities of infected persons argue that more people would see the need to come forward if they know the names of those they may have come in contact with. They also argue that this might also ease the process of contact tracing.
Health officials have rejected the suggestion, citing the legality of it.
Nonetheless, the names and photos of some of the infected people have been leaked and circulated on social media.
The government is also concerned that this practice could lead to stigmatization, which many fear could force people to hide their status and hinder the national response efforts.
But Dumbuya said that is not an issue, considering how wide spread the disease is across the world.
“Since the whole world is being affected with the coronavirus, the defense of fear of stigmatization of the victim is of no moment… You cannot enjoy absolute right in this period,” he said.
Among a number of issues the report on the lockdown highlighted was the soaring of commodity prices, water shortage, and sporadic incidents of brutality on civilians by security forces.
As part of their own contribution, the consortium said they fed hundreds of people in the streets of Freetown during the course of the lockdown.
Part of the report are a number of recommendations, including a call for the government to streamline its information system on the pandemic. The group also urged the government to collaborate with former government officials, including former President Ernest Bai Koroma, in the fight against the virus.
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