Adadevoh in our minds

A year after, users of different social media platforms today  remembered the late Medical Director of First Consultants Medical Centre, Dr. Stella Adadevoh, whose death has been described as a national sacrifice.

Adadevoh was afflicted with the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease and she died on August 19, 2014 after fighting hard for several days, alongside her colleagues, to stop Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian, from sneaking out of the hospital to spread the contagion.

Many Nigerians have saluted the late medical doctor for her courage, while a few initiatives have been launched to immortalise her.

From one webpage to another, Adadevoh’s image, her sacrifice and courage streamed back to life on Wednesday as Internet users marked the first anniversary of her death.

By noon, Topsy, a social media analytical tool, had captured close to 2,000 tweets in memory of the deceased.

Interestingly, the social media posts came from individuals and corporate entities, as well as foreigners. Various local and foreign media also joined concerned Nigerians to mark the day.

Etisalat Nigeria described Adadevoh as a true humanitarian, while Gemstone, a capacity building group, said she was a “heroine who gave her life to protect Nigeria from the EVD.” Access Bank Plc and many other organisations also used their Twitter pages to remember the life of the physician.

Tweeting on @SolaOyedeji, Olusola Oyediji, said, “Whenever I think of Ebola in Nigeria and how it was tackled, Dr Adadevoh is the first name I think of. I cannot think of one person who had ever sacrificed that much for a country that cares less about her.”

Writing on Instagram, Monalisa Chinda reflected on the role Adadevoh played to contain the spread of Ebola in Nigeria. Here post soon generated far-reaching reactions from her fans, with many urging the Federal Government to set up a medical centre in her honour.    

“Dr, Adadevoh, this country is Ebola-free because of your selfless act. We will always remember you. May God bless your soul as you continue to rest in peace,” posted Chinda.

Daniel Olatunde urged government to immortalise Adadevoh on Facebook. He wrote, “Many of us are only interested in politics and sundry matters, but we forget those who have helped the country at a crucial time. Even in sports, we fail to recognise men and women who have won us laurels.

“Adadevoh died in the process of helping the country to deal with an epidemic. Has the government awarded scholarships to her wards up to PhD level? That is not too much to ask. The Nigerian Medical Association should put pressure on the government to immortalise her for her rare courage.”

A Facebook user posting as Kwami Adadevoh noted that, through her action, the late Adadevoh saved Nigeria from subsequent Ebola outbreaks in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

“We remember her fondly. We also remember the other health care workers who were involved in the Ebola outbreak and their sacrifices. In her honor, her son and family have set up the Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh Health Trust to help address Nigeria’s unfulfilled health needs and improve our health sector through four areas: education and training, policy, research and disease control,” he wrote.