Joseph Van Vicker, a Liberian movie star resident in Ghana, made the appeal at the John F Kennedy Memorial Hospital Friday where he led a parade organized by the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY) as part of the 41st anniversary celebration of the federation.

He noted that as Liberians struggled to defeat the deadly Ebola disease, those blessed to survive the disease should not be stigmatized, but embraced for surviving the virus.

“My fellow Liberians, please be receptive of the survivors you have because they are already traumatized, so if you always have a negative feeling about these people, it is going to cause another problem for them,” he indicated.

According to Van Vicker, the issue of stigma against Ebola survivors must and should be discouraged in the society.

“The survivors have gone through a very traumatic period at the various ETUs and only survived by the grace of God because the disease does not have a fixed treatment,” he emphasized.

He then commended staff of the JF.K Hospital and all health workers in the country for their resilience in the fight against the spread of the Ebola disease.

In remarks at the program, FLY president Augustine Tamba praised the health workers in Liberia and the entire citizenry for the fight against the Ebola disease.

Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Officer of JFK Hospital, Dr. Billy Johnson, has lauded Van Vicker and the FLY leadership for recognizing the efforts of the hospital and healthcare workers, and promised to continue to do their best in the interest of humanity.
LINA RD/JGT/TSS/PTK