Monrovia – In gentle of their oversight tasks, Health Committees from the Liberian Senate and the House of Representative on Friday, January 31, toured the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Sinkor. The tour aimed to look at and catalogue each challenges and prospects in providers supplied on the hospital.
By: Laymah Kollie, contributing author
The Joint Committee headed by Senator Dabah Varpilah of Grand Cape Mount County comprised of Senator Botoe Kanneh of Gbarpolu, Representatives Priscilla Cooper of (District #5, Montserrado), Julie Wiah of Lofa, and Representative Isaac Bannie of Grand Bassa.
Giving an outline of the exercise, Senator Dabah Varpilah, Chairperson on the Health Committee on the Liberian Senate, acknowledged their go to was meant to see for themselves the providers supplied at JFK and the way they’re supplied. The tour was supposed to seek out out the essential challenges confronted by the largest authorities hospital alongside successes.
According to Senator Varpilah, studies on social media and the airwaves usually give the establishment a unique opinion about providers and the way they’re provided; as such, the go to was a medium for observing their processes.
“When you listen to the radio or even read on social media it gives you a different opinion about JFK. So it was prudent enough for us to con and see for ourselves”.
According to the Cape Mount Lawmaker, the exercise allowed them to see much more than that they had heard in public.
During the tour, the Lawmakers, alongside JFK Administrators, visited a number of departments within the hospital. Places toured have been the Maternity division, Emergency Services, Operations Services, Surgical Rooms, Pharmacy, Trauma Departments, X-trays division, Laundry, Kitchen, immunology urinalysis division, laboratories, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf National Dialysis Center amongst others.
In the method of touring the amenities, there have been vital shortages noticed, posing challenges to the hospital’s means to supply enough healthcare providers. Equipment shortages have been recognized, impacting the hospital’s capability to watch and deal with sufferers successfully. Concerns have been raised concerning the assist and amenities out there for high-risk maternal circumstances.
While on this journey JFK Chief Executive Officer Madam Linda A. Birch highlighted numerous challenges present process the Institution. Key amongst them, in line with Madam Birch, are electrical energy, Staff conduct, and medicines.
“We need around 800 to 1,000kva generators for the smooth operation of the hospital. Right now we have 550kva and 350kva generators running but cannot serve all departments here. We have tried getting loans from the bank to purchase generators of higher capacities, but it’s been difficult,” the JFK Administrator stated.
The exercise climaxed with an in-house assembly. The assembly, which concerned interactions between the JFK administration, Lawmakers, and SisterAid-Liberia, additionally led to discussions surrounding the best way ahead and the Public Health Bill.
In the assembly, Joint Committee Head Senator Dabah M. Varpilah promised to extend the connection with the hospital and urged the administration to determine key tasks that will be wanted for implementation yearly.
However, in line with Senator Varpilah, the abortion element of the general public well being invoice is changing into a contentious difficulty. Stressing that concern round it might be impacting the invoice’s progress, particularly if it’s being labeled primarily as an “abortion bill.” A delicate and balanced method will likely be wanted to handle such issues, whereas nonetheless specializing in the broader targets of enhancing public well being.
Senator Varpilah’s feedback recommend that she’s open to dialogue and suggestions from professionals within the sector, which may assist steadiness the varied issues surrounding the invoice. Her acknowledgment that the “abortion component is just a small part of the bill might help shift the focus back to the broader”, extra urgent points in public well being, like enhancing maternal care and hospital infrastructure.
At the identical time, Rep. Julie Fatorma Wiah, Chairperson of the Health Committee on the House of Representatives, outlined how the general public well being invoice is addressing a variety of pressing well being points past the controversial abortion clause. The give attention to rising ailments like Ebola, Marburg, and COVID-19 underscores the invoice’s relevance in getting ready Liberia’s well being system for future challenges.
Furthermore, Amelia Siaffa, Acting Executive Director of Sister Aid Liberia, acknowledged Senator Varpilah’s openness and willingness to interact with Sister Aid Liberia. Regular communication between lawmakers and civil society teams like Sister Aid is vital to making sure that the invoice displays the wants of the communities it goals to serve. This ongoing dialogue may assist preserve the give attention to sensible, impactful options within the well being sector, somewhat than letting the controversy round particular clauses derail progress.
Siaffa’s remarks emphasize how the general public well being invoice’s influence extends far past girls and ladies, affecting all the nation. “The commitment to bring health workers together to revisit the bill is a positive step, as it shows a willingness to include all relevant stakeholders in the decision-making process”, she stated.
Her level underscores the significance of viewing the invoice in its entirety and never letting one contentious difficulty overshadow the broader advantages it may deliver to all the inhabitants. Her name for unity and collaboration in revisiting the invoice suggests a realistic method to transferring ahead.
In February 2020, President George Weah submitted the Revised Health Bill to the Legislature, which amongst others, seeks to handle present and future challenges in addition to combine the separate legal guidelines governing the general public well being system.
The Plenary of the House of Representatives handed the invoice on July 21, 2022, on the advice of the Joint Committee on Health and Judiciary, and forwarded it to the Senate for concurrence.
Meanwhile, Senator Dabah has dedicated to calling for a public listening to to resolve the destiny of the Draft Bill.