(June 29, 2022, Paynesville, Monrovia, Liberia)—as part of efforts to reduce maternal newborn health and increase child nutrition, the Ministry of Health (MOH) in collaboration with its local and international partners on June 29, 2022 concluded a two-day national conference across the nation—the conference was held in each of the 15 political sub-division of the country.

During the conference, participants brainstormed and shared knowledge including challenges as well as reflected on issues, ranging from maternal newborn health and mortality to child health and nutrition services and the dynamics in the provision of quality healthcare delivery in Liberia.

For Montserrado County, the conference was held at the Paynesville Town Hall, from June 28 to 29, 2022, under the theme: “Invest in Maternal Newborn Health and Nutrition, To Reduce Maternal and Newborn Death in Liberia.”

Dr. Jallah during a brief remark, applauded the CHT and local leaders. “This conference is being held across the 15 Counties in Liberia. The entire indicator is multi-sectorial approach, nutrition, child health, pregnancy and all that stimulates health. “Exclusive breastfeeding remains critical, “said Minister Jallah.

She said every health professional has to be responsible in the discharged of their deities because health matters, stressing the need for everyone to go back in their various communities to promote health matters. Dr. Jallah use the occasion to commend the CHO and her team for the level of cooperation thus far.

Dr. Yatta S. Wapoe, County Health Officer of Montserrado County, who made opening remarks at the kickoff, told health workers that the objective of the conference was also aimed at reducing maternal morbidity and mortality (MMR) as well reduce infant morbidity and mortality.

Giving statistics on various health facilities in Montserrado during the conference, Nancy T. Bonner, said the county has the population of approximately 1.4million and it has 374 health facilities. These facilities according to her, play a critical role in reducing maternal newborn health in the health sector.

And out of the number, 62 are public health facilities, while 312 are private owned facilities; of that number, 11 hospitals, while 28 health facilities as well as 335 clinics, as such she told Minister Jallah that the Ministry has lot to do in the county.  

Madam Bonner, however, clarified that Montserrado County has only 5 functional maternal waiting homes that are situated in rural Montserrado, specifically in Todde, St. Paul and Careysburg districts.

Notwithstanding, the conference was also meant to discuss the issues of reducing under 5 morbidity and mortality. According to Dr. Wapoe, the conference focused on promoting adolescent health and nutrition and to control reproductive tract infection and sexually transmitted infections.

At the end of the conference at least five (5) health workers were honored by the Montserrado County Health Team through the Ministry of Health for their service rendered over the years. The awards was however given according to categories, and these honorees include: Mrs. Debbie W. Kwashie, Best Performing Certified Midwifery (CM)-Argthington Clinic, Mary T. Kwiwalazu Best Performing Officer In Charge (OIC) Goba Town Clinic, Beatrice Boimah best performing Vaccinator- Duport Road Health Center, Emily Williams- best performing Community Health Assistant (CHA) – Careysburg, and Francis Cole Traditional Trained Midwifery (TTM) – Johnsonville Clinic.

The event, however, brought together the Montserrado County Health Team (MCHT), Community Health Assistant (CHA), and other health practitioners from Montserrado County.

Signed:______________________________

            Felecia Gbesioh

            Director of Communications, MOH/RL                    

(June 30, 2022 Monrovia, Liberia)—The Ministry of Health (MOH) has begun the validation of a 10-year policy document that aims to reduce infant mortality. 

The goal of the National Community Health Program (NCHP) is to enhance the delivery of quality community health program and to also reduce maternal, neonatal, infant, and adolescent mortality and morbidity in all communities and creating child-friendly communities through disease detection, prevention, and response.

The program is a coordinated, high-quality, government-managed community health care system aimed at contributing to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in which all households should have access to life-saving services and are empowered to mitigate potential public health risks in the community.

This process is intended to criticize the policy documents and make suggestions where necessary, as well as make recommendations for its finalization by the committee response. It further focuses on building consensus and getting stakeholders’ buy-in on the Community Health Program (CHP) policy, aligning the NCHP policy document and reviewing sticky points per thematic areas which will develop a justification for possible inclusion or exclusion in policy areas.

“This process has come a very long way over the last one-year plus, and  the Ministry had a lot of engagements with national, County, districts, and at community, levels to ensure that community health services are provided in a more equitable way in the communities thus improving health care services in Liberia,”

Olasford Wiah, Director of the NCHP.

Olasford Wiah, Director of the NCHP also told participants that going forward the Ministry wants to see different approaches when it comes to community health services across the country.

The policy documents are also intended to strengthen community structures through standardization of identification and orientation processes, which include: creating, training, equipping, incentivizing, supervising, deploying, digitally empowering, supporting, and motivating fit-for-purpose Community Health Workers (CHW).  

Wiah indicated that going forward the Ministry wants to see different approaches when it comes to community health. “For example, the issues of the human resource aspect of the Community health program.

What do we intend to do, and how do we intend to achieve that? The issue of supply chain commodities for community health workers: what are those policies we need to put in place for them to ensure that they do their work effectively and efficiently.”

Wiah, however, clarified that the intent of the validation is not to create something new in the policy documents but to build around what they already have.  “We have Community Health Assistants (CHA) who are carrying on their activities in rural communities and urban cities. We already have Community Health Volunteers (CHV); but these CHV roles are not in a clear direction as compared to CHA; therefore we want to standardize what these CHA’s are doing now so that we don’t have a loophole in the system, as we have been seeing in the urban settings.”

This, he believes, will help Liberia’s health system, adding that the Ministry wants to see one community health policy with two different approaches. “One of the approaches is that we are currently doing the work of the CHA’s in rural communities.  The second approach is to just standardize what the CHV’s in urban cities are doing to address the health needs of the community.”

He said: “We have learned lessons since the inception of this program in 2016. We want to keep the situations engaging as they come out in the health sector.”

Dr. Francis Keteh, Chief Medical Officer, (CMO) stressed the importance of maintaining the momentum of the NCHP to show the development partners that Liberia is appreciative of all of the support over the years and is doing something better to improve the country’s health system.

Keteh sees this as essential to Liberia’s health sector and calls on the national legislature to allocate more funds in the budget to support the program. “We all have to work continuously with the program managers so that at the end of the day we can continue to maintain quality health care service not compromise, but also provide what is needed for us to move forward,” he added.

The ongoing validation process began from June 16 -18, and it brought together health technicians, County Superintendents from Grand Bassa, Nimba, Grand Gedeh, Margibi, River Gee, Maryland, Grand Kru, Sinoe, River Cess, Lofa Gbapolu, and Bong Counties.

Signed:______________________________

            Felecia Gbesioh

            Director of Communications, MOH/RL