(Paynesville, Liberia, August. 4, 2026) — The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Tuesday opened its Second National Health Review Conference at the Paynesville City Hall with a commitment to introducing Universal Health Insurance (UHI) as a sustainable financing mechanism to reduce maternal and newborn deaths and expand equitable access to quality healthcare across Liberia.

The three-day conference, running from August 4 to 6, is being held under the theme: “Introducing Universal Health Insurance in Liberia: Financing Quality Maternal and Newborn Care for All.”

Opening the conference, Health Minister Dr. Louise Mapleh Kpoto welcomed participants and said the annual review is a critical platform for assessing the country’s health sector performance and shaping future priorities.

“It gives me immense pleasure to welcome all of you to the 2026 National Health Review Conference. Each year, this gathering provides us with an opportunity to reflect, evaluate our progress, confront our challenges, and make informed decisions that will improve the health and well-being of the Liberian people,” Dr. Kpoto said.

She said this year’s theme is both timely and strategic, noting that Universal Health Insurance would be a transformative reform capable of strengthening the nation’s health system while protecting its most vulnerable citizens.

“The implementation of Universal Health Insurance will strengthen our health system, protect every Liberian, especially the most vulnerable, and ensure that access to quality healthcare is based on need rather than the ability to pay,” she said.

Dr. Kpoto praised President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. for making the health sector a national priority.

“I wish to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to His Excellency, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., whose leadership continues to place health at the center of Liberia’s national development agenda,” she said.

The Health Minister also acknowledged the contributions of development partners, county health teams, healthcare workers, civil society organizations and the private sector, saying Liberia’s health gains have been driven by sustained collaboration.

“The progress we have made is the result of our collective efforts over the years. Together, we have strengthened primary healthcare, expanded access to essential medicines, invested in our health workforce, improved disease surveillance, and intensified our efforts to reduce maternal and newborn deaths,” she added.

Urging participants to ensure the conference produces tangible outcomes, Dr. Kpoto called for practical solutions, stronger accountability and decisive action to build a more resilient and responsive health system.

“Over the next three days, I encourage all of us to move beyond simply presenting reports. Let us identify practical solutions, strengthen accountability, and commit ourselves to actions that will make our health system stronger, more resilient, and more responsive to the needs of the Liberian people,” she concluded.

Meanwhile the Senior Advisor to First Lady Kartumu Yarta Boakai,  Dr. Adam M. Kyne, has disclosed that Liberia cannot achieve meaningful national development when women continue to die from preventable pregnancy-related complications.

Delivering a keynote address on behalf of the First Lady, Dr. Kyne said: “No nation can call itself healthy while its mothers are dying in childbirth and its newborns are dying before they have been given a fair chance to live.”

He viewed the conference as more than a gathering of health professionals, calling it “a national examination of conscience” that challenges Liberia to determine whether its health system is capable of protecting its most vulnerable citizens.

“The theme before us, Universal Health Insurance as a Catalyst for Maternal and Newborn Survival, places a vital responsibility upon the nation,” he said. “It reminds us that quality care must not depend upon a mother’s income, surname, location, education, or social standing.”

Quoting the First Lady, Dr. Kyne added: “A woman in a rural village carries life with the same hope as a woman in the capital. A newborn in a remote community possesses the same value as a newborn delivered in the finest medical facility.”

The keynote emphasized that healthcare must be affordable and accessible to every Liberian.

“Healthcare delayed can become life denied. Healthcare unaffordable can become healthcare inaccessible. And healthcare inaccessible can become a death sentence for the poor,” he said.

Earlier, Deputy Minister for Administration Martha C. Morris welcomed delegates, while goodwill messages were delivered by representatives of non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, the World Bank, the United Kingdom, the People’s Republic of China, the United States Embassy, the United Nations family, the Superintendents’ Council and the House Committee on Health.

The conference seeks to build national consensus on the implementation of Universal Health Insurance while strengthening collaboration among government institutions, development partners, the private sector and civil society.

Participants are reviewing the implementation of recommendations from the 2025 National Health Summit, evaluating county health sector performance, assessing financial resource mobilization and expenditure, and examining progress made under the National Health Sector Strategic Plan.

Technical sessions are focusing on health service delivery, human resources for health, healthcare financing, implementation of the National Health Sector Strategic Plan and county health sector performance during 2025.

County health teams from across the country are expected to present reports on achievements, lessons learned and implementation challenges during the conference as the Ministry of Health and its partners work toward a national roadmap for implementing Universal Health Insurance and accelerating equitable access to quality maternal and newborn healthcare throughout Liberia.