Liberia, a country that was hit hard by the Ebola epidemic in 2014, once again finds itself facing a major health crisis with the Covid-19 pandemic. This situation leads us to question the lessons that were learned from the previous crisis and the state of the country’s hospital structures.
A visit to the Bensonville health center, about twenty kilometers east of Monrovia, allows us to see the difficulties that medical staff face on a daily basis. Lack of equipment is one of the main problems they face. Doctors and nurses often have to purchase medicines that are not available themselves, or even give patients a prescription to obtain them themselves. This situation is critical and seriously compromises the quality of care provided to patients.
In addition, the Bensonville health center is struggling to benefit from the achievements of the Ebola crisis. The two freezers that were donated by Unicef are the only equipment they have had since then. Despite the support of the government which regularly draws up a list of needs, the center is seriously lacking in resources. Essential medicines are not always available and medical staff are saddened by the lack of continuing training. Only 17% of health personnel have been trained since the Ebola crisis, which is insufficient given the specific needs linked to each disease.
Liberia’s health authorities emphasize prevention, but face many obstacles. Consultations are free, which makes it difficult to set fees to finance health services. In addition, the state of the roads complicates the distribution of medicines, thus hindering access to care for many people.
Faced with these challenges, Liberia’s Ministry of Health has proposed legislation to improve medical coverage in the country. However, it is clear that concrete measures and greater investment in medical infrastructure and resources are necessary to deal with successive health crises.
It is therefore essential that Liberia and other countries facing similar challenges learn from past crises and invest in public health emergency preparedness. This includes the provision of adequate resources, continuing training of medical staff and the establishment of sustainable financing mechanisms to ensure access to care for all.
In conclusion, Liberia, like many other countries, once again finds itself facing a major health crisis with the Covid-19 pandemic. Lessons learned from the Ebola crisis have not been sufficiently put into practice, leading to major difficulties in the country’s health structures. Urgent action is needed to improve access to care and strengthen the resilience of Liberia’s health system to future crises.