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.