Location: Gbarnga
Situation:
Almost six years after the end of the civil war, Liberia continues the process of reconstruction. Despite strong political will, the health system remains fragile and the government's contribution to the health sector is limited in relation to the scale of the needs. In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the local health authorities, Doctors of the World (DOW) supports the implementation of health reforms and the training of healthcare workers.
Activities:
DOW provides technical and financial support for the reconstruction of the health system, to ensure the continuity of care between the community, the district, the county and the government, and their sustainability. Our organisation has also been actively involved in the development, piloting and implementation of recent policies and plans in relation to mother and child health, community and mental health, tackling HIV/AIDS, funding and human resources. Thus, 10 health facilities are supported in the provision of general and mother and child heatlh consultations (including the prevention of sexually transmitted infections), prevention, screening and reduction of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Gbarnga health centre has been refurbished and has become the first rural hospital in the country to specialise in mother and child health and obstetric care. Training of specialist health staff has enabled provision of psychiatric consultations and psychological support sessions. Awareness-raising sessions on different health themes - such as violence against women - were carried out in the villages to strengthen links between the communities and health services. The county medical school receives support and the ongoing training of healthcare personnel is strengthened in order to tackle the shortage of human resources in rural areas. As a result of the project 112,901 general consultations were carried out in 2009 and 2,433 births were assisted (including transfers), 2,654 pregnant women had HIV tests and 5,687 children received BCG vaccinations.
Outlook:
DOW will continue to support the county health services, to increase its support for the medical training programmes, to play an active role in the start of activities in the country obstetric reference hospital and to be involved in the implementation of national policies.
