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Weah boasts of resilient health system 

--At CHW symposium

By Lincoln G. Peters 

President George Manneh Weah has boasted of his government’s tremendous efforts in disease prevention and minimizing mortality across the country over the last five years.

Speaking virtually to an audience at the Third International Community Health Workers symposium ongoing in Monrovia, Mr. Weah boasted that the health sector has remained resilient despite the many shocks.

Over seven hundred Community Health Workers from forty-six countries in Africa and beyond are attending the symposium at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Monrovia.

Group photo

The Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Health in partnership With the World Health Organization, African Center for Disease Control, USAID, and Golden Touch Corporation (GTC), among others, have gathered the participants at the symposium.  

In his virtual speech, Mr. Weah said his government remains committed to supporting the healthcare system of the country.

“I am happy to speak at this all-important gathering, discussing plans to expand health care services in order to meet the needs of our vulnerable population,” said Mr. Weah. 

“While I would have loved to grace this program in person, I couldn’t at this time due to a pressing travel schedule,” he said.

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She said the government has made tremendous progress over the years in disease prevention and minimizing mortality.

However, he said challenges requiring collective action remain. 

President Weah added that he expects that this third International Community Health Worker symposium will ponder over how all stakeholders can work together in achieving success.

He described the CHW symposium as an activity that is crucial to the government’s development agenda as it examines ways to increase healthcare coverage for all Liberians. 

He pointed out that in his many travels across the country, he has seen firsthand the challenges families face – particularly in rural areas – when trying to access these basic needs.

He told the participants that as they are aware, in the last few years, the government has managed to increase the coverage through the training and recruitment of health workers, as well as ensuring the accessibility of health care services. 

“The sector has remained resilient despite the many shocks. Let’s continue on this momentum. Let me now thank all of you for gathering here and committing to work for the good of humanity,” President Weah concluded.

For her part, Health Minister Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah urged that during the symposium, participants should push for innovation and strategies to save the African continent and support Community Health Workers as the first liner. 

According to her, health is a human right that everyone is entitled to irrespective of where they are and live as well as their political affiliation and alignment. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic revival, the historical and ongoing messages of the structural value of inequality. More than four million died worldwide, nearly the size of Liberia’s population,” said Dr. Jallah. 

“The effect has been felt in low and middle-income countries. In Liberia, the disease came when we had declared mortality and many illnesses a national crisis,” she stated. 

She said over the past years, they have controlled COVID-19 and ensured continuity of primary healthcare to avoid preventable deaths.

“I am proud of what we have achieved. Liberians are strong and resilient people. Have been there before. During 2014-2015, Ebola came and we saw essential services decline dramatically, and we also saw losing nearly five thousand people to the disease and countless others to child birth and preventable illnesses,” Dr. Jallah recalled. 

She said community health workers were key to ending the outbreak.

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