Hailing the return of health workers

Liberian health workers are fully back at health facilities, despite the inability of the government to meet its financial obligations to them. Their return also followed numerous appeals from a number of high profile individuals and institutions, including the World Health Organization or WHO. The government had earlier promised to pay health workers hazard salaries and death benefits, beginning September this, but to no avail.

“When I talk about strike by health workers, I don’t talk about it as a minister, but as a health worker because myself had been a health worker for many years; as health workers, you need to have love and passion for your work,” Health Minister Walter T. Gwanigale told an Information Ministry special press briefing on EbolaMonday, October 13, 2014 in Monrovia, threatening to dismiss all striking health workers, if they did not return to work- a situation that would have posed serious danger to the progress being made in the battle against the Ebola disease.

Perhaps being very cognizant of the potential danger of the strike action, the WHO and other well-meaning institutions appealed to the health workers to return, while the plights were being pursued with the government-  an intervention to which the health workers may have heeded. Health workers began returning to work on Wednesday, October 15, 2015 just two days after the commencement of the strike action, following calls by their respective county leaderships of the |National Health Workers Association for them to do so.

While the intervention of the World Health Organization and others must be hailed, health workers themselves must be praised for their decision to listen to the many appeals in the name of humanity. Their return to work is truly a clear demonstration of their desire to choose the medical profession to save lives – they must surely be appreciated despite the danger which characterizes their job, most especially at this point in time of the spread of thee deadly Ebolavirus disease.

“When I talk about strike by health workers, I don’t talk about it as a minister, but as a ‘health worker’ because I myself had been a health worker for many years,” said Health Minister Walter T. Gwanigale, while  threatening to dismiss the striking health workers without any remorse. But with the various interventions and return of the health workers, the government must do everything within its power to make the wrong right, i.e, it must ensure at all cost, to translate the rhetoric into reality by paying the health workers their ‘hazard salaries and benefits’.

It must try its possible best to avoid such situation because when health workers abandon health facilities, many patients who are Liberians, die- a situation that does not bespeak well of the government and the health care delivery system in the country. It is also hope that the US$10m commitment by the Government of the United States to address the matter with the health workers, will further lay the whole matter to rest. Such timely intervention by the U.S Government must also serve as a stimulus for the Liberian Government in motivating health workers across the country.

As we wholeheartedly commend the U.S Government for the timeliness of such financial intervention in the ‘halabalu’ between the Liberian Government and its employees, health workers must also muster the courage and put aside their differences with Walter T. Gwanigale, and adhere to their call to duty, i.e, to save lives because without such, our country may be out for a long battle with Ebola. Liberians health workers must also understand that they are wholeheartedly appreciated by the people of Liberia.