-Low salaries, inadequate drugs, lack of insurance cited by health workers
A delegation of Liberian health workers has held their first meeting with President George Manneh to discuss the challenges facing the country’s health care delivery system.
The meeting with the Health Workers Association of Liberia took place in the C. Cecil Dennis Auditorium at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Monrovia on Thursday.
An Executive Mansion press release said it was held “under a friendly atmosphere,”
President Weah commended the Health Workers for their commitment and sacrifices to the nation and assured them of his continued support aimed at revamping the health sector.
The Liberian leader, who paid a visit to the country’s largest referral hospital last weekend, said he was appalled by the existing condition of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital and promised to transform the facility.
He informed the Health Workers Association that his meeting with them was to assess challenges confronting the sector in order to forge a partnership to enhance the country’s health care delivery system.
For their part, the Association, through its spokesperson applauded President Weah for extending an invitation to the Health Workers.
The health workers said this is the first time in the history of Liberia for a sitting president to call upon the health workers to listen to them on issues affecting the health sector in an effort to address occasioning challenges.
They cited a number of things that need to be done to improve the health sector.
They spoke of the need for effective ambulance service; adequate drugs supply in a timely manner; the welfare of the health workers; the refusal of the Ministry of Labor to grant them a Certificate of Recognition; inadequate salary for health workers; and lack of insurance as well as non-existence of decent work Act. They also appealed for specialized training for doctors and nurses, among other things.
Thursday’s meeting was attended by Hon. Nathaniel Farlo McGill, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Minister Samuel Tweah, Minister of Finance & Development Planning, Prof. Wilson K. Tarpeh, Commerce Minister-designate, Dr. Francis Kateh, Deputy Minister of Health /Chief Medical Officer of the Republic of Liberia, and Dr. John Mulbah, Chairman, Liberia Medical and Dental Council.