By Alfred Kollie alfredkolliejr92@gmail.com
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has officially handed over seven ambulances worth over $354,000 to Liberia’s Ministry of Health in Liberia.
These ambulances will be used in seven counties as part of the Accelerated Community Development Programme (ACDP), an initiative launched by the Liberian government in October 2022.
The UNDP procured the ambulances with an initial contribution of $3 million from the Liberian government.
The goal is to enhance the health service delivery capacity of the Ministry of Health, particularly in providing efficient and effective healthcare to rural communities.
During the handover ceremony on June 14, 2024, UNDP Resident Representative Louis Kuukpen expressed his commitment and praised the collective effort in serving the most vulnerable populations in rural areas.
He emphasized that the ambulances align with the vision and aspirations of the ACDP to cater to the needs of these marginalized communities.
“These ambulances are therefore intended to be used to beef up the logistical strength of the Ministry of Health County Health Teams (CHT) in providing affordable health delivery services. These seven ambulances are tailor-made (thanks to MoH for providing the specifications), with a total cost of about $354,385.64 USD and they are designed to operate in “hard to reach” environments and communities such as the ACDP’s beneficiary communities” Mr. Kuukpen narrated.
“The ambulances are specially designed to operate in hard-to-reach environments, ensuring that healthcare services can reach the ACDP’s beneficiary communities” He explained.
Mr. Kuukpen also reassured the Health Minister and the government of Liberia of UNDP’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 3 on good health and well-being.
Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, the Liberian Health Minister, expressed gratitude to the UNDP for the generous gesture.
She acknowledged that the ambulances would significantly boost the healthcare delivery system, especially in rural areas.
Dr. Kpoto emphasized the ministry’s commitment to transparency and accountability, assuring the UNDP that the ambulances would be used for their intended purpose.
To ensure accountability, a monitoring team will regularly oversee the usage and maintenance of the ambulances across the beneficiary counties.
“On behalf of myself personally, the people of Liberia, and his excellency President Joseph Boakai, we extend our sincere thanks and appreciation to the UNDP family for such a great help” Dr. Kpoto thanked.
The goal is to ensure that the resources provided are effectively managed and that partners continue to support Liberia’s healthcare system.
Dehpue Zuo, Deputy Minister for Economic Management at the Ministry of Finance, urged Dr. Kpoto to be mindful of managing the resources provided by the UNDP and to encourage further support from partners.
Madam Ellen O. Pratt, Deputy Internal Affairs Minister for Urban Affairs, pledged local government support and reassured that the ambulances would be sustained, maintained, and used for their intended purpose.
“We will ensure at the local government level, they are sustained, maintained, and used for the intended purpose. We say thank you to the donor for the continued support to the Liberian people” Madam Pratt said.
The handover of these ambulances marks a significant milestone in improving healthcare services for remote communities in Liberia.
The collaboration between the UNDP and the Liberian government aims to address the healthcare needs of the most vulnerable populations and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.