Despite being declared Ebola free in early November, Sierra Leone's ambulance fleet has yet return to normal medical service, with many standing idle throughout the country, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

At the beginning of the outbreak, what few functional ambulances Sierra Leone had were turned over to containment efforts and regularly used to transport patients who were infected with the Ebola virus. As the virus began to spread, experts say, other types of medical emergencies were virtually ignored by emergency services in the country, according to the report.

The 147 ambulances foreign partners donated to fight Ebola are currently regulated by Sierra Leone's National Ebola Response Center, or NERC.The Ministry of Health and the Office of National Security will take over this fleet of vehicles on December 31 when the ambulances will be sterilised and combined with those bought by the government to establish a national EMS system, according to the report.