It’s Opening Day! I asked the District Medical Officer to come up with a programme and a guest-list, and 24 hours later we have 100 local VIPs including a government minister and press officials.

Back home this would take months of preparation because everyone gives the illusion of being so busy with hugely important work, but here in Africa, with casual ease and smooth efficiency we have the perfect, spontaneous celebration.

My attempt to run the event with slick efficiency quickly evaporates as our 10am kick off drifts in-exorably past 11, and our one-hour slot for speeches from the local VIPs overflows into three. But this is a big event in Moyamba, so I get into the listening groove and enjoy the long rambling solil-oquies.

We have a ribbon at the red zone for the local Chief to cut, but he prefers a more traditional ceremony and gets down on his knees to recite incantations and pour water (from a Gordon’s gin bottle - it might be gin) on the soil. Then finally the refreshments and a hubbub of happiness.

Of course it’s not really Opening Day. Not quite.

One final hurdle persists and that is our biohazard suits (PPE). We now have four types of PPE from DfID. We have hundreds of boxes of the stuff sitting around in our storage tents. However, none of them are quite good enough for our quality assurance lead.

It reminds me of when I go shopping with my daughters, sitting patiently for hours while they try on all the clothes in the shop, none of them exactly what they are looking for.

Our search is hindered by the global shortage of biohazard suits. The Chinese manufacturers have run out of stock, such is demand in West Africa. Finally we find a model that passes muster. If our final drills go well today, then we are all set to welcome our first guests tomorrow.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, our Sierra Leonean comrades at the local Ebola Holding Centre and Moyamba Hospital are managing to look after Ebola patients in flip flops and rubber gloves. The medical superintendent of the local hospital asks me if we have any spare PPE. “How many truck loads do you want?” I reply with festive generosity.

There are concerns that we should not be donating biohazard suits that do not meet our exacting standards, but this is more about legal culpability rather than genuine concern about risk of expo-sure to local staff. I suggest a convoluted (and spurious) donation system whereby MDM return the boxes of PPE to DfID and I then seek permission from DfID to donate to the local hospital.

With no objections, I set off in a loaded pickup truck and at Moyamba Hospital I am greeted as an Ebola Santa Claus. Health staff unload the unlikely Christmas presents with excitement and joy. I feel like I have just relieved the Alamo.

At the evening Command and Control meeting I provide a heartfelt apology for the repeated delays and continuing uncertainty about our opening date.

One more day! The community expects.

MORE BLOG POSTS FROM PROFESSOR JOHN WRIGHT