As part of efforts toward promoting health for the citizens of Liberia, BudgIT Liberia has officially held a turnover ceremony of Health Sector Accountability Resolution Document to the Open Government Partnership, under the theme, “Promoting Health Sector Transparency and Accountability through Stakeholders Engagement”. The program was held on Tuesday, December 20, 2022 at Cape Hotel, Mamba Point.
Giving the overview of the program, the Finance and Administrative Officer of BudgIT Liberia, Miriam M. Jabula, disclosed that despite the strides made, recent report has stated that the life expectancy rate in the country is at 62.5 years (F66/M 64 years) and infant mortality rate of 63/1000 live births.
According to her, malaria, diarrheal, diseases, neonatal disorder, lower respiratory infection, ischemic heart disease, HIV/AIDS, stroke, Tuberculosis and chronic liver, including maternal disorders, are the leading cause of death in the country.
She said it is articulated in the “Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD)” that access to basic healthcare would be a fundamental contributor to the evolution of human capital that will drive the socio- economic development agenda.
Jabula said, despite these realities and recognition, national policy, programs, citizens engagement and funding continue to delay behind projected needs. According to her, the government financing of the health sector falls below expectations as far as its commitment made in Abuja with the assurance of allocating 15% minimum of the GDP towards health sector revamping as was once done, in 2006.
“The country is not found wanting; what needs to be enforced is strong political will from the Executive in terms of funding to the health sector in order to meet the Abuja Declaration’s benchmark of 15% of total fiscal budget expenditures each year,” she stated.
She said donor funding and private sector goodwill also need to be used to yield good results for the citizenry to increase access to community and country healthcare systems, take into account the needs of people with disability and provide good training for staff in combination with robust monitoring and evaluation mechanism to ensure service delivery reaches those it should benefit or is intended for.
She maintained that their findings recommend key issues government must prioritize and that the government reconditions the roads in rural areas because many pregnant women die before reaching the facility.
Miriam M. Jabula said, with the urgent implementation of these 7-count recommendations, the Liberian people strongly believe the lives of all Liberians will improve while immensely contributing to the economic growth of Liberia.
Since the end of the Liberian civil war, Liberia has made significant progress in health in terms of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent’s health (RMNCAH) performance within the 15 counties.
“Health is not politics. We as citizens need to understand that healthy people cannot be looting state and coming to you and giving part of the looted things in the name of doing good,” she added.
Making remarks, the Country Director for Accountability Lab, W. Lawrence Yealue, said, “Until we stop state looters from what they are doing this country will not go anywhere. Accountability is the key thing that we need to hold.”
According to him, former president Sirleaf built the Jackson F Doe Memory hospital which should be the modern referrer hospital in Liberia, sez it never make any serious minded person because, you take a modern hospital and place it in the jungle where there is no roads, the politicians are thinking like people who don’t have sense.
He said politicians don’t understand what health means, health is not the number of facilities, health is the quality of services that have been deliver, “you can have as many facilities as possible when the quality of services is lean on private sector exploitation on the citizens then you haven’t done anything”.
Liberia has reached the stage where people lose their state of reasoning because of political alignment, health is a serious human rights and they need to go for it and reach to places where we are telling politicians that you are looting the state and putting the money in the wrong places and the budget doesn’t reflect service delivery.
Lawrence Yealue said, “Public sector actors are wicked. The things that are happening in this country are so painful. The government needs to focus on the healthcare practitioners and train them the right way by giving them equipment. We have to reach the stage where this country will understand that health accountability is crucial, and so a health minister cannot be politicians; rather, an administrator of the oath to nurses.
“This country does not care for its citizens; the health of the citizens of Liberia is in the hands of foreigner. We are not even show of the tablets we take—whether they have been tested or not,” Yealue said.
Receiving of the HSA Document by the open government partnership, the Head of Secretariat, Ralph Jimmeh, said the information given to BudgIT Liberia has helped inform what will be done in the health sector even, as the organization embarks on the 5th national action plan.
He disclosed that the ministry of Health is inpart of the OGB national actions plan that will be concluded this December but a will also find part of the new actions plan come 2023.
According to him, citizens’ import is very important, “because we believe that the government focus should be for the people in the country”.