It is becoming convincingly clear that embarrassment encountered by patients and staff of the G.W. Harley Hospital, especially during the rainy season, will soon become history. It is one of the three major referral medical centers in Nimba County, but the buildings have been in dilapidated condition over time.
The hospital is beginning to take a new shape with the provision of US$45,000 in assistance by ArcelorMittal Liberia, upon request by the hospital’s management.
In January, AML’s Government and Community Relations Manager, Marcus Wleh, on behalf of the company presented a symbolic check of $45,000, disclosing AML’s resolve to ensure that the hospital is reroofed, painted and re-electrified.
The hospital was in a poor state, with the roof profusely leaking, among other conditions, causing stress and embarrassment for staff and patients, especially during the rainy season. Patients were compelled to place buckets on their beds during heavy downpours of rain. But with the intervention of AML, these conditions would no longer exist when renovation works are complete. The hospital would be back to its full capacity in a conducive and functional state.
In an interview, G.W. Harley Hospital’s Logistics Officer working with the contracted group carrying out the renovation, Peter Kula, said the re-roofing of the facility is nearly completed, while painting work is as well halfway completed.
“Before ArcelorMittal could come in to help renovate this building, we were seriously embarrassed, especially during the rainy season because the water dropped on in-patients all over, but now we can say that only some little finishing touches need to be done on the roof,” Kula said. “The problem we used to encounter no longer exists.”
He said the hospital’s administration is also eagerly expecting the final approval of the electrical work to commence. While Jungle Energy Power is currently providing electricity to the hospital, he said the current wiring was poorly done, leading to constant outages.
“Whenever there is any electrical fault on any of the wires, the entire building would go out of the light until that part with the problem is repaired. We hope the wiring component of the project can be approved to correct all the faults to stop this other embarrassment,” Kula added.
Edmund Gbah, AML’s Community Relations Supervisor in Yekepa, said on-going community initiatives being sponsored by the company are essential to strengthening its relationship with its stakeholders. According to him, G.W. Harley Hospital’s renovation is one of the essential projects the company decided to undertake in the short term.
Even though the Government of Liberia (GOL) has reached an agreement with AML for the relocation of the hospital, Gbah said the renovation is a quick impact project for the benefit of the people of its mining impact communities.
He highlighted that, in addition to the renovation of the hospital, other community projects, like the Zolowii Public School renovation, the installation of streetlights in Yekepa and the Gbapa clinic construction, are indicators that AML is a responsible corporate entity.