11th Sierra Leonean doctor dies of disease

monjola sotubo

December 19, 2014 2:46 PM

67-year-old Victor Willoughby succumbed to Ebola on Thursday, December 18, and is the 11th doctor from the country to die of the disease.

Sierra Leone has lost one of its most senior doctors to the raging Ebola outbreak.

67-year-old Victor Willoughby succumbed to Ebola on Thursday, December 18, and is the 11th doctor from the country to die of the disease.

Dr Willoughby’s death was confirmed by Sierra Leone’s Chief Medical Officer, Brima Kargbo.

“Dr. Victor Willoughby was a mentor to us physicians and a big loss to the medical profession. He has always been available to help junior colleagues,” Kargbo said.

M'Baimba Baryoh, a doctor who described Dr Willoughby as a “very good friend” said:

“We've lost personal friends and colleagues we've worked with. It's extremely depressing and frustrating. You can talk to someone today and tomorrow they are Ebola-infected. The tension, the depression, it's a lot of pressure. You start having nightmares because of Ebola.”

The late physician is said to have died while an experimental drug he was to be treated with was thawing. The drug, ZMAb had been flown in from Brussels but Willoughby died before a dosage could be administered to him.

Willoughby was the 12th Sierra Leonean doctor to be infected with the disease.

monjola sotubo