By Lincoln G. Peters
The World Health Organization (WHO) has vowed to remain supportive of Liberia’s health sector through the provision of technical and financial support.
WHO Emergency Preparedness Response Team Lead Coordinator Dr. Julius Monday made the commitment at the end of a three-day National COVID-19 After Action Review (AAR) symposium in Monrovia.
He said the WHO remains committed to ensuring that Liberia remains healthy and safe from health emergencies.
“WHO is committed to providing technical support to ensure that Liberia remains healthy and safe from health emergencies,” he said.
He noted that Liberia’s approaches used in fighting COVID-19 are documented and other countries will use them to fight public health emergencies.
“I again want to congratulate you for the step,” Dr. Monday stated.
The Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Health with funding from the WHO on Wednesday, 19 July 2023 ended a three-day brainstorming meeting on COVID-19 After Action Review symposium in Monrovia.
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The initiative was aimed at examining the impact, challenges, and as well as Liberia’s preparedness and response in dealing with and handling public health emergencies using the COVID-19 experience as a case study.
The three-day AAR brainstorming meeting was held at the E.J.S Ministerial Complex in Congo Town and brought together hundreds of county health officers (CHOs) from the fifteen counties.
The CHOs were assembled to access the AAR and develop a national compass that will be used to respond to public health emergencies.
The program was also graced by several partners including Dr. Amadous Alassane Cisse of UNICEF Liberia, and Madam Claudette Grant, new Country Director of the United States Center For Disease Control (US CDC), among others.
The symposium began July 17 and ended July 19, 2023, with the primary objective to improve future disease outbreak response based on documented lessons learned and best practices from COVID-19 preparedness and response.
Dr. Monday however congratulated Liberia for its efforts in fighting and defeating COVID-19.
According to him, Liberia is now positioned among the first five countries in Africa to have conducted COVID-19 After Action Review meeting.
“This COVID-19 After Action Review is important because it points out indicators with relation to challenges and progress made in the fight against COVID-19 and how to prepare for future outbreaks,” he said.
Dr. Monday pointed out that Liberia is again among the few countries in Africa that have fewer cases of COVID-19 not because the virus was not strong, but because of the method and approaches used by the government.
“Other countries have taken lessons from Liberia’s approaches in ending this. Liberia’s method used on fighting COVID-19 ranging from your community first approach, home-based management, case management, community surveillance, and speedy vaccination are all documented, and countries will use your approach to solve other emergencies,” he concluded.
