About 48 percent of Liberian citizens pay for health care services here, according to the Acting Director-General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia or NPHIL, quoting recent research, while calling for a drastic reduction of such percentage for the safety of the ordinary people.
Serving as keynote speaker at commemoration of Universal Health Coverage Day Wednesday, 12 December in Paynesville City, Dr. Mosoka Fallah says people’s lives and deaths are determined by conditions, especially poverty.
He notes that women are the most effected people, who suffer from conditions of poor health care system.
Dr. Fallah discloses that maternal mortality is a major condition that leads to inter-general poverty, and stresses the need to strengthen Liberia’s health system through provision of adequate medical drugs, and timely payment of health practitioners who are often assigned to rural communities.
This year’s celebration of Universal Health Coverage Day was organized by the Liberia Immunization Platform under the global theme: “Keep the Promise,” with a call for the provision of quality healthcare services for women and girls in Liberia.
Universal Health Coverage Day is an annual rallying point for the growing movement for health for all. It marks the anniversary of the United Nations’ historic and unanimous endorsement of universal health coverage in 2012.
The Liberia Immunization Platform is a network of over 40 civil society organizations working for equitable access to vaccines for every citizen in the Country.
The current Board Chair for the Platform, Madam Joyce Kilikpo Jarwolo, re-iterates the need for women empowerment in optimum health care, and more investment in the health sector of Liberia.
She says if Liberia’s health system must improve, women should be respected and trained in the provision of healthcare services.According to Madam Jarwolo, women bear greater responsibilities towards the provision of health care at their respective homes, including the environment in which they live.
She says as part of the Universal Health Coverage Day commemoration, the Liberia Immunization Platform is engaging into focus group discussions within series of communities to enlighten the minds of citizens about Universal Health Coverage and their role to ensure promises made by stakeholders are kept for the benefit of the Country and its people.
She cautions the Government of Liberia to invest in Women, because they are the first line of care before health service providers.
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The Universal Health Coverage Day brought together several private and secondary schools, community dwellers, including members of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia, and Liberians in general. Editing by Jonathan Browne
