15 Nov Dr. Martin Salia Headed to the US for Ebola Treatment

Steve Dennie, Director of Communications

According to news reports, Dr. Martin Salia, 44, is on his way to the US for Ebola treatment. Dr. Salia is a surgeon at Kissy United Methodist Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He is a United Brethren member, but is not employed by us in any way. However, he has served as a consultant and occasional visiting physician at Mattru Hospital.

On Friday, a Phoenix Air air ambulance traveled to Sierra Leone to evaluate Dr. Salia to determine if he was stable enough to endure the long flight. According to NBC News, the plane, with Dr. Salia aboard, left Sierra Leone at 11:30 Friday night (Eastern Time) and is due to arrive at the Nebraska Medical Center around 3pm Saturday afternoon (ET). According to NBC, the medical team suggested that Salia may be sicker than other patients treated in the US.

Following is information about Dr. Salia gleaned from news reports and from conversations with various news organizations which have contacted the UB national office in Huntington, Ind.

Nebraska Medical Center

Nebraska Medical Center is one of four US facilities designed to handle infectious diseases like Ebola. Dr. Salia would become the 10th person treated for Ebola in the United States, and the third at Nebraska Medical Center. The others were infected in Liberia: missionary doctor Rick Sacra and NBC News cameraman Ashoka Mukpo.

The Center said on Thursday night (Nov. 13) that a Phoenix Air medical evacuation jet was on its way to evaluate an unnamed patient in Sierra Leone for possible evacuation to their 10-bed bio-containment unit in Omaha. The plane’s medical crew would decide whether or not “the patient is stable enough for transport.” If so, he would reach Omaha on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 15.

The United Brethren church is not involved in any efforts to bring Dr. Salia to the States, and news reports don’t identify who is underwriting the substantial expenses. There is some conflicting information. One report says Dr. Salia himself plans to cover the expenses. Perhaps the United Methodist Church, which employs Dr. Salia, is involved. We don’t know.

Dr. Salia and Kissy Hospital

Dr. Salia is the sixth Sierra Leonean doctor to be infected with Ebola. The other five have all died.

Reports say Dr. Salia showed symptoms of Ebola on November 6, but tested negative. However, when tested again on November 10, the diagnosis was positive. Salia was then taken to the Hastings Ebola Treatment Center in the Freetown area. Kissy Hospital was closed the next day, and the staff was put under a 21-day quarantine.

It’s not known, or at least hasn’t yet been reported, how Dr. Salia contracted Ebola. Kissy Hospital does not deal with Ebola patients. He did help in at least three other medical facilities, as did other workers at Kissy.

The United Methodist Church website reported that, after this diagnosis, “Sierra Leone United Methodist Bishop John K. Yambasu and Beatrice Gbanga, the United Methodist Sierra Leone Conference’s medical coordinator, held an emergency meeting at the hospital to talk about steps to protect the staff and make sure the hospital is disinfected immediately.”

Dr. Dennis Marke is listed as the Chief Medical Officer at Kissy Hospital. Dr. Marke, also, is from a United Brethren background and has worked as a surgeon at Mattru Hospital.

Two Quarantines

The UMC article says that in September, a patient at Kissy Hospital was diagnosed with Ebola, and died after having been transferred to the government’s Connaught Hospital in Freetown. At Kissy, certain parts of the hospital were closed and the staff put under a 21-day quarantine. Dr. Salia was diagnosed with Ebola several weeks after that 21-day quarantine expired.

With Dr. Salia’s diagnosis, the staff at Kissy was put under another 21-day quarantine, starting Tuesday, November 11. The UMC article states, “The Sierra Leone Conference Ebola response team will provide a 50-kilogram (110-pound) bag of rice, sugar, milk, soap, water, and other food to the quarantined staff. The staffers also will receive minutes for their cell phones so they can report on their health condition in case of any emergency or deteriorating health.”

The United Methodist Church also operates Mercy Hospital in Bo, the country’s second-largest city (and home to Sierra Leone Conference’s national headquarters). Two nurses at Mercy Hospital contracted Ebola, and are currently at the Hastings Treatment Center, along with Dr. Salia. Mercy Hospital was closed and quarantined on October 17; it is expected to reopen on November 17.

Dr. Salia’s Family and Legal Status

Dr. Salia’s wife, Isatu Salia, and their two sons (ages 20 and 12) live in New Carrollton, Md. It is being reported that Dr. Salia lives in Maryland, that he is a “permanent legal resident” of the US, and that he continues to hold a green card. The Associated Press described him as “a citizen of Sierra Leone but also a legal permanent US resident.” At the moment, we can’t confirm anything about his legal status, when his family came to the United States, or the circumstances under which he returned to Sierra Leone while his family remained in the US.

In a November 14 article on Voice of America News, Mrs. Salia said she hadn’t been able to speak to him since his diagnosis. She heard the news from a sister-in-law, Dr. Salia’s oldest sister, who also works at Kissy Hospital. But  say she talked to Martin on Friday. She described his voice and weak and shaky, but said he told her “I love you” in a steady voice.

Mrs. Salia says, according to Newsday, that her husband frequently travels to the US, but doesn’t stay very long “because he believes people back in Africa need him.”

Dr. Richard Toupin, a former doctor at the UB Mattru Hospital in Sierra Leone, has known Dr. Salia for a number of years. He is quoted as saying of Dr. Salia, “He is one of the best-trained surgeons in his country. He is a very competent surgeon.”