By MosesM. Tokpah, mosesmtokpah@gmail.com
In an effort to compliment the efforts of the Liberian government in addressing the health needs of residents of citizens, Margibi Electoral District #2 Representative, Ivar K. Jones has donated a 40ft container of assorted medical supplies and equipment to the Dolo Town Health Center in Lower Margibi County.
The container of medical supplies arrived in the country from the United States recently. The Lawmaker presented the container containing six hundred and twenty three items to the Facility through the Margibi County Health Officer, Dr. Augustine Nyankun Fannieh on Thursday, February 3, 2022.
During the presentation, Rep. Jones said that the container was donated to him by a US-Based organization identified as Project SAVE making it the second consignment sent to him in the period of two years.
He asserted that in 2019 a Liberian identified as ‘Scott’ informed and linked him with Leon Reandall, indicating that upon his (Leon Reandall) arrival in Liberia in the same year they made series of visitations and the Dolo Town Health Center was among those facilities they visited.
“And upon our visit he saw the condition our health centers were faced with and he gave us his commitment that upon his return to the United States of America he was going to insure that some of those challenges be resolved and upon his return as he spoke we received the first consignment of Medical Supplies in February of 2020 which we distributed to health facilities within district two, district one, district five; even the Rennie Hospital benefited and the special task force setup by the President of the Republic of Liberia against COVID-19 also benefited,” he explained.
He added that the supplies and equipment are intended for the Dolo Town Health Center, but said there are some medical supplies that may not be useful for the facility and in the event where those items are identified they will be at the description of the medical practitioners to decide where those items should go.
Rep. Jones at the same time admonished the county health team to use the items donated for the intended purpose.
The Margibi County Lawmaker lauded the CEO of Project SAVE, Madam Janice Walker and her team for their continuous support to the health sector of Liberia. He also thanked citizens of District #2 for electing in during the 2017 general and presidential elections.
Rep. Jones
Meanwhile, Rep. Jones has put the cost of the shipment cost up to getting it to the facility at a little over US$12,000.
In a related development, the Margibi County lawmaker is craving the elevation of the Dolo Town Health Center to a referral hospital.
He Jones said he is of the strongest conviction that the health center will be elevated to a referral hospital.
Rep. Jones disclosed that as a member of the budget committee at the House of Representatives, through his instrumentality US$60,000 is being added to the US$20,000 previously allocated in the proposed budget for the Dolo Town Health Center adding that if the current budget is passed the facility will receive US$80,000.
“It means in our quest to make the Dolo Town Health Center a referral hospital is not just a mere bluff but we have started the entire process by running, so what we will want to say to all of us; it is a collective effort, just as I am doing my part we expect the health practitioners to do their part we also called on the citizens to do their part” he expressed.
The Lawmaker said when the people of Margibi are united development is sure, but when divided it means they will fight.
He called on every citizen of District two, Margibi County and Liberia at large to unite for a singular purpose which is development.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Ministry of Health and the Margibi County Health Team, the County Health Officer of Margibi, Dr. Augustine Nyankun Fannieh thanked Rep. Jones for the donation and promised to use them for the intended purpose.
“We want to say a big thank you for this donation Honorable Jones, we are happy as a system to receive this donation from you, as I received I was going through the listing there are lots of things here that are really; really needed in our facility and we want to assure you on behalf of the Margibi County Health System that these items will be used for its intended purpose,” Dr. Fannieh excitingly expressed.
The Margibi County Health Officer who named some of the items donated as Drip steams, delivery beds, eye equipment, ultrasound equipments, dental chairs and dental machines among several other things described the donation as timely and meaningful.
Dr. Fannieh used the occasion to inform the public that the County Health System has 62 health facilities across the county out of which 22 are public facilities.
He sided with the Lawmaker that some of the items donated are beyond the usage of the Dolo Town Health Center and they are to be used in hospital.
However, Dr. Fannieh has revealed that the Dolo Town Health Center is one of the facilities that has been earmarked and captured on the Ministry of Health plan to be upgraded to a comprehensive health center.
Dr. Fannieh continued: “And it’s something that has been enshrined in our planning at the Ministry of Health under the PAPD that Dolo Town, because of the position strategically located in the lower end of Margibi this year we will be putting into place where we will have theatre setup here so that cases from the lower end that are not able to go to Firestone Hospital can come here; we’ll have a doctor assigned here so that surgical cases can now begin to go on here”.
He also named the Kakata Health Center as the second facility that will be upgraded as it is expected to be completed at the end of February 2022.
Dr. Fannieh also used the opportunity to inform the public about the status of the C.H. Rennie Hospital that was gutted by fire in August of 2021.
According to him, President Weah has committed his government to constructing a three story that will contain hundred bed rooms adding that the module of the facility is put at the cost of four million United States dollars.
He then recounted that eight hundred thousand United States dollars is being projected in the current national budget for the beginning processes of the rebuilding of the Hospital.