PHOTO ABOVE: SOME ABANDONED PATIENTS AT REDEMPTION HOSPITAL
–As Liberian Health workers run out of patience
By Garmah Never Lomo,garmahlomo@gmail.com
The tough economic times mixed with the CDC government’s inability to meet its wage bill continue to put President George Weah and his close to two-year-old government under pressure.
A troubling situation erupted on Monday, September 23,2019 in the vital health sector, with health workers across the country effecting their threat to go on strike, as President Weah has led a delegation to New York to address the UN General Assembly.
In the capital, Monrovia, there are pathetic scene at the government-run Redemption Hospital in New Kru town on the Bushrod Island.
Patients were forcibly put out by health workers and pregnant women who have to receive pre-natal care were denied from seeking medical attention.
Imagine children who were expected to be immunized, people who are under oxygen and those who were under surgery or people were critically ill, what will happens when the Go-slow continues.
All facilities across the country have reportedly been shut down, as angry health workers complain of not being paid for up to three months and also lack of medical equipment or materials to work with.
The Comptroller General at the Liberian Finance Ministry, Mr. Janga Kowo was on the local OK FM Radio earlier this morning denying that the government owed civil servants three months arrears.
Instead he claimed that the government only owes for the month of August and that salaries will be made current by the end of September this year.
Health workers from the past have been complaining about the lack of fuel in both Generator and Ambulances, lack of drugs, hand gloves to test patients, lack of hospital bed, among others. These were basic things lacking that exposed the frailties of the Liberian health system when the deadly Ebola Virus Disease broke out in 2014.
However, in an interview with the National General Secretary of Health Workers Union of Liberia Mr. George Poe Williams said the sector is still seriously challenged. He said in most health facilities, common hand gloves cannot be found in various health facilities. Neither are there basic tablets like paracetemol and malaria medicine, the Health Workers Association’s Secretary General explained.
Mr. Williams disclosed that their Go-slow action marks ‘a sad day’ in the country in that if even they go to the health facilities what are they going to work with, when it is only the empty structure standing with nothing in it.
The Liberian Health workers official that the health sector is highly challenged with no attention being focused on it, with no fuel to provide electricity in various health facilities, neither in ambulance to transport patients to referral hospitals.
But rather, he said they have been taking risk by treating patients in darkness or sometimes patients themselves buy fuel just to get treated, when there is a need for surgery or emergency conditions.
He further stated that health workers and patients were nearly killed at the James A. Davis memorial hospital in Paynesville by criminals because there was no electricity.
Secretary General Williams also stressed that no laboratory technicians to carryout laboratory test and they have made several calls to central government but to no avail.
Explaining further, the health workers official said they need to be adequately supported..
Mr. Williams narrated that their Go-slow was pronounced since September 3, 2019 to see whether they could go to dialogue with Government but to no avail.
Up till now, he added that although there was a meeting held at the Foreign Ministry last Friday, it ended in deadlock and that no common ground was reached.
He said that meeting was attended by Finance Minister Samuel Tweah , Minister of State Nathaniel Mcgill, Senator Peter Coleman among other senior government officials.
Narrating further, Mr. Williams expressed what hurt them is the information given to the public by the media consultant at the Ministry of Health Sober George that the Health workers .
And he said the government said it had resolved the pending go-slow action when nothing of such was done but called on him Mr. George to apologize for his lies or wrong information given to the public.
The Secretary General of the National Health Workers Association of Liberia said currently, the government of Liberia is owing them three months, which they were told that their salaries have been disbursed into their various accounts.
But he trashed it as false because health workers have been to the bank but there is no money been placed into their accounts when their children are out of school and other family need.
What good will it do for patients when they were to be at various health facilities with medical services not being provided to them, due to lack of hospital materials or medical equipment.