They lived through the horror. Now they are speaking out. A new report from survivors of the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak delivers a brutal verdict on the global health system: it was too slow, too stingy and too cold. The document, compiled by the Ebola Survivors' Network and obtained by this journalist, is a searing indictment of the international response.
Sources within the network confirm that survivors across Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea were interviewed for months. The result is a stark set of demands. First, speed. The World Health Organisation took four months to declare a public health emergency after the first cases. By then, the virus had spread to three capitals. Survivors recall bodies rotting in the streets while officials debated travel bans.
Second, money. The report documents that less than half of the pledged aid ever reached frontline workers. Billions were promised. Only millions arrived. One survivor from Kenema district told researchers: 'They sent protective gear that melted in the heat. They sent cash that never left the airport.' Uncovered documents from aid contractors show that overheads ate up 40 per cent of funds before any gloves or syringes were purchased.
Third, compassion. The report calls for a 'human-centred response' that respects local burial practices and community leadership. During the outbreak, foreign teams often bulldozed traditional rituals without consent. The result: families hid the sick and the dead. The virus spread faster.
But the survivors are not just critics. They offer solutions. Their plan: a community-led surveillance system linked directly to regional labs, bypassing bureaucratic gatekeepers. A transparent fund with real-time tracking of every dollar. And mandatory inclusion of survivors on every emergency committee.
This is not academic theory. The report cites a pilot project in rural Guinea where survivors trained local health workers to spot symptoms. Cases were reported early. The outbreak was contained in three weeks. The cost: 80,000 dollars. Compare that to the 3 billion dollars wasted on the official response.
There are obstacles. Bureaucrats in Geneva and Washington resist ceding control. Some global health officials privately dismiss the survivors as 'emotional' and their recommendations as 'impractical'. But the survivors have data. They have credibility. And they have the memory of 11,000 dead.
As one survivor from Monrovia put it: 'We are not asking for charity. We are asking for a system that works. If it had worked in 2014, my son would still be alive.'
This report will be formally presented to the WHO next month. But the survivors are not waiting for permission. They are already building networks across borders, sharing what they learned. The question is whether the suits will listen or let another crisis prove them right.
