Poor water and sanitation in Liberia

The Civil Society Organization chair on water and sanitation Prince Craply has alarmed about very poor water and sanitation system in Liberia. He said health facilities in Liberia are the main ones that are not observing good hygienic practices.

Speaking to this paper on Monday, 15 August in an interview, he said the Ministry of Health’s department that is responsible for water and sanitation is not effective in monitoring various health facilities to make sure they are clean, adding they are not sending the right messages around to the various communities to help keep the place clean.

He noted that the Government has a duty to financially empower the department of sanitation, including all other support so that it can become effective in monitoring the various areas to avoid diseases.

According to him, more than 50 percent of the health facilities in Liberia lacks water and sanitation. He added that the CSO conducted a survey in Montserrado and out of 10 health facilities visited, eight were dirty without water and good sanitation. “If the hospitals are not clean, the patients that go there will adapt what they see at the hospitals, so if the hospital is not clean, it will be difficult for the patients to get well because of the dirt”, Mr. Craply said.

Meanwhile, the CSO chair has noted that if the sanitary department at the Ministry of Health is empowered, it will properly monitor all health and food facilities, stressing “It is important to monitor food facilities too to make sure hands are being washed every time because we use our hands to do so many things, shake hands, open doors, etc…”

By Ethel A. Tweh-Editing by Jonathan Browne