The Nimba County Health Office is singing praises and making a heartfelt plea for support from ArcelorMittal and other partners in their quest to establish a critical vaccine storage facility within the county.
Dr. Netty Joe, the County Health Officer, emphasized the vital importance of having a dedicated vaccine storage facility within Nimba County.
She explained that the current lack of such a facility hampers their ability to efficiently transport and store a significant quantity of vaccines, as all other health facilities in the county depend on the limited storage space at the GW Harley Hospital.
Dr. Joe expressed her gratitude for ArcelorMittal’s consistent support to the Nimba County Health Team and, in particular, the GW Harley Hospital. She recognized that, while ArcelorMittal has generously committed to the hospital’s relocation, it is equally crucial for the hospital to have its vaccine storage facility.
This storage facility would play a pivotal role in the rapid and widespread distribution of vaccines across the county, helping to prevent various diseases.
Dr. Joe highlighted the current predicament regarding the vaccine storage facility, emphasizing the county’s unique challenges.
She pointed out that Nimba County is the largest county in terms of geography and the second most populous. This population density, coupled with the numerous health facilities that depend on the GW Harley Hospital for vaccines, places immense pressure on the existing storage capacity.
She underscored that the county’s vaccine storage facility at GW Harley Hospital lacks the necessary capacity to meet the demand and, as a result, the Nimba County Health Team has been in negotiation with the Ministry of Health’s Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) unit to establish their dedicated vaccine storage depot.
Dr. Joe underscored the transformative impact that the support of ArcelorMittal would have on the county’s health system.
With the establishment of their own vaccine storage facility, the Nimba County Health Team could significantly enhance its capacity to store a larger quantity of vaccines, ensuring a sustained and consistent supply.
In her words, “So that is one thing we really plead with ArcelorMittal Liberia to help us achieve—that it will be helpful for us, as a health system in the county here, to have our vaccine storage facility.”
Dr. Joe further emphasized the broader impact of the proposed facility, noting that all health facilities across the nine electoral districts in Nimba rely on vaccines stored at the GW Harley Hospital.
She emphasized the importance of having an up-to-date storage facility that can serve the 76 essential facilities that depend on it.
In addition to the vaccine storage facility, the Nimba County Health Officer highlighted the urgent need for an isolation and treatment facility for infectious diseases.
She also expressed a desire for the continuation of the medical outreach programs sponsored by ArcelorMittal, advocating for these outreach efforts to be conducted every three months to address the healthcare needs of those who are geographically distant from health facilities.
The Nimba County Health Office’s plea underscores the critical role that a dedicated vaccine storage facility plays in ensuring the health and well-being of the county’s residents.
With the support of partners like ArcelorMittal, this initiative could significantly improve healthcare services in Nimba County, making a lasting and positive impact on the community’s health.