Over Poor Health Issues, LIBERIA: Health Minister in the net of the parliament

The state of the country’s health situation is under serious scrutiny again and needs serious attention once more and so the House of Representatives sitting on its 14th day of the 2nd quarter of the 6th session unanimously voted to cite the Minister of Health to provide meaningful information on the state of the country’s health.

On her appearance on next Tuesday, July 4, 2023, Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, is expected to provide update on the status of Liberia’s health system.

The decision to invite Minister was triggered by a communication by Lofa County Electoral District #3 Representative, Clarence Massaquoi, in which he raised serious concerns about the state of affairs of the health sector amid preventable deaths.

Rep. Massaquoi alleged that the devastating state of the Liberian Health Sector has become a consistent issue of concern for years.

According to him, currently many health facilities are faced with multiple challenges ranging from the lack of drugs and clinical materials, lack of electricity, go slow by some voluntary health practitioners who are yet to be regularized, amongst others.

“For example citizens and residents of Lofa have complained that the Tellewoyan Hospital, the only referral hospital in Lofa County, is currently out of medical supplies; the Kolahun Hospital lacks electricity and the ambulance service is down,” he told plenary, which is the highest decision making body of the House of Representatives.

The Lofa County Lawmaker added that these prevailing situations, if not handled with urgency, would swiftly worsen and continue to put citizens at risk.

In addition to the issues raised by the Lofa County lawmaker, Montserrado Electoral District #4 Representative Rustolyn Suakoko Dennis is critical of the current state of the country’s health system.

And so in so in addition to the issues pointe out in Rep. Massaquoi’s communication, Rep. Suakoko Dennis wants the Health Minister to answer to a particular situation at the FDA Clinic regarding a recent maternal death.

With these varying and scaring health issues, the Minister would appear perhaps, with few members of her team to provide updates.