Healthcare Federation of Liberia Holds First Ministerial Stakeholders Forum with Ministry of Health

The Healthcare Federation of Liberia (HFL) a newly founded organization has held its first Ministerial Stakeholders Forum (MSF) with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to establish a public, private sector partnership aimed at working together to improve the provision of quality healthcare delivery system in the country.

The meeting which brought together scores of healthcare provider from the private sector was held on February 13, 2020, in the Minister’s conference room at the Ministry of Health headquarter in Congo town, Monrovia.

According to the head of the African Health Business (AHB) Dr. Amit Thakker, the Ministerial Stakeholder Forum MSF is use in several countries around the world with the Ministry of Health of every country sitting as the senior administrator along board members of the HCFL in order to open the environment to discuss the challenges and potential solutions in the health sector especially in the private sector.

Dr. Thakker meanwhile acknowledged the concerns of the Ministry in those several areas that they have been engaging the private sector including the area of sanitation and promised that the coming into existence of the Federation will seek to address some of those major concerns.

He noted that, with the cooperation of the Ministry of Health and the MSF whose membership comprises of both private and public healthcare institutions, the provision of quality healthcare services would be sure.

Chairing the meeting on behave of Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, Liberia Chief Medical Officer Dr. Francis Kateh welcomed the move by the group, and noted that, the establishment of the Federation came at the time when the country need quality ways to begin working together to serve humanity.

Dr. Kateh further disclosed that, some of the country’s major health issues in time past came from the private, stressing that to see the very sector coming to ask for a partnership to work together in making sure that healthcare delivery is improved is something that worth commending.

Meanwhile, the Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Francis Kateh pledged the Ministry’s commitment in working with members of the Healthcare Federation of Liberia in achieving its goals. 

Also speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister for Administration of the Ministry of Health Hon. Norwu G. Howard stressed the issue of proper accountability, noting that the ministry has been dealing with several other organizations in the private sector, but there has been no accountability.

In remarks, the President Elect of the Healthcare Federation of Liberia Dr. Nicole Cooper said, between July of 2019 and February 2020 the Federation has been in contact with one hundred and eleven different institutions in the private sector and of the one hundred and eleven institutions, 40 have fully signup as members of the Federation, adding that, the Federation membership is open to any organization whose primary business is in the health sector.

Madam Cooper also lauded the Federation’s partners for helping to create a strong organization structure within her institution, which according to her, will enable the Federation to be an effective partner to the Ministry of Health and to help work with the Ministry to achieve its policy goals.

Chrisitian Health Association of Liberia (CHAL) DONATION

As part of preparations to fight the corona virus which continue to spread in other countries around the world, the Ministry Health have receive a donation of two hundred boxes of face mask from the Christian Health Association of Liberia (CHAL) a non-governmental organization operating in the country.

Making the donation, Madam Patricia Kamara, Executive Director of the organization said the donation of the masks is to complement government efforts in preparation to fight the corona virus is fast spreading around the world.

Madam Kamara noted that the early preparation of the health sector to fight any outbreak in a country is the best thing to do by the Ministry of health of that country and commend the government through the ministry of health for their efforts.

“We from CHAL don’t want it be like what happened during the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in 2014 that claimed the lives many of our people, when the health sector of our country was not prepared for any outbreak”, she stressed.

Receiving the donation on behave of the ministry, Madam Nuwoh Howard, Deputy Minister for Administration thanked CHAL for the donation, noting that the items came right at the time when the Ministry is in preparing to ensure the protection of anyone that would enter the country with any sign or symptom of the virus.

Minister Howard disclosed that the ministry is making sure that systems are setup to contain the spread of any respiratory disease and virus in the country.

According to her the Ministry in collaboration with the National Public Health Institution of Liberia (NPHIL) has being working to ensure that structures are erected at the airport and various points of entry in order to scare up surveillance all over the country in making sure that citizens are well protected.

Minister Howard, “it is our prayer and hope that this virus does not hit us, but viruses have no border, so all we can do is to be in the state of preparedness”.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister for Administration of the Ministry of Health Nuwoh Howard has called on all of the Ministry’s partners, NGOs, INGOs and other civil society organizations in and out of the country to join the fight in the prevention of the corona virus and that the ministry is opened to more donations.