–Calls For His Immediate Dismissal
The Civil Society Network of Liberia (CSNL) has expressed strong opposition to the appointment of Amos Gborie as Acting Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL).
Recently, Gborie was appointed to temporarily head the NPHIL until a new Director General can be appointed.
But in their statement of disagreement with Gborie’s appointment, CSNL said, “Our disagreement stems from a report by NewDawn Newspaper on August 10, 2020, in an article, titled, ‘Test Scandal Busted at NPHIL’, which highlighted serious concerns about Mr. Amos Gborie’s character, making him morally unfit and lacking the integrity and credibility to serve as Director General. Documents in our possession reveal that, as Director for Environmental Occupational Health at NPHIL in 2020, Mr. Gborie forged the signature of his former boss, Dr. Mosoka Fallah, to issue a fraudulent certificate to Ms. Skeeter T. Wilson, a patient diagnosed with COVID-19. Despite being informed by Dr. Fallah on August 8, 2020 that Ms. Wilson’s result was positive, Mr. Gborie conspired with two other employees to issue a certificate with ‘negative result’ for her. This was one of several instances where Mr. Gborie changed positive test results to negative, endangering lives.
“Due to this serious ethical breach, Mr. Gborie was suspended, investigated, found guilty and, in fact, jailed for his criminal action. This level of unprincipled and dishonest behavior renders him unfit and unreliable to head the NPHIL.”
The CSNL said it believes that the Minister of Health and the Chairperson of the Board of NPHIL may have been misled, or failed to perform due diligence by thoroughly investigating Gborie’s character and performance history before the appointment, and therefore requests the Board to keep him 360 degrees away from the National Public Health Institute of Liberia. “As a donor-supported institution, those appointed to lead the NPHIL should be beyond reproach and possess high degrees of integrity, honesty, reliability, and credibility, all of which Mr. Gborie lacks,” the CSO group stated.
“The CSNL investigation has also uncovered that Mr. Amos Gborie has applied to be appointed as the Director General-proper of NPHIL. This information is not only troubling, but greatly ridiculous and has the propensity to taint the image of NPHIL. We therefore call on President Joseph Nyumah Boakai not to be misled into considering Mr. Gborie for the position of Director General-proper at NPHIL, as any attempt to appoint him would be disastrous and not in the best interest of the Liberian people, who seek a credible and reliable public health institution to safeguard their health,” the group added.
Meanwhile, the Civil Society Network of Liberia (CSNL) has called for the immediate removal of Amos Gborie as Acting Director General of NPHIL, as there are several qualified and experienced public health practitioners who can lead the NPHIL effectively. “We hope that the Minister of Health and the Board of Directors will do a thorough search for a new Director General with no consideration to Mr. Amos Gborie. This action will restore respect and confidence in the NPHIL from its donor partners, ensuring continued support for the institution,” the group observed.