Recent assessment report by US Ambassador accredited to Liberia Michael A. McCarthy has been hailed by the National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSCL), the apex body of all civil society organizations in the country.
The NCSCL in a statement issued Wednesday, April 26, 2023, described the US envoy’s statement as a candid assessment of the country.
It said the Government of Liberia (GoL) must see it in good faith to take appropriate corrective measures that would change the current narratives.
Following the tour of the remaining counties of Liberia to complete his tour of the entire country, the US diplomat released a staggering report.
Part of that report as indicted the Liberian government of paying lip service to the Decentralization Policy.
It said the government at the same time is downplaying the country’s health sector.
The US envoy explained how startled and deeply troubled he is to encounter multiple county hospitals that could not receive what they were promised in the 2022 budget.
From his assessment visits, the US diplomat uncovered that hospitals, on which lives depend, where outbreaks are prevented and suffering is alleviated, did not receive any portion of the US$100,000 or more appropriated by the legislature for them to operate.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]
Accordingly, the CSO Council indicated that the report presented by the US government’s first representative to Liberia gives a clearer and complete picture of how things are running.
The CSO said if care is not taken, the condition could further worsen, thus endangering the lives of ordinary Liberians who find it increasingly difficult to get daily meals for survival.
The Council called on the Liberian government under the stewardship of President George Manneh Weah to welcome the report and begin to work through its responsible ministries/agencies to make amends.
“The National Civil Society Council of Liberia, the apex body of all civil society organizations in the country, hereby congratulates Ambassador McCarthy on the completion of his tour to the entire country,” the group said.
“We also want [to] thank him for his report that was drawn on the outcome of his assessment visits across the country.”–Press release
