Politics
Liberia to Establish Heath Equity Fund
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says if Liberia is to achieve Universal Health Coverage, it must begin to build a sustainable health financing system through domestic financing for the health sector. She admitted that it will be a daunting task considering the multiple needs of a country undergoing reconstruction; however, it must be done.
President Sirleaf disclosed that consideration is now being given for the establishment of a Liberia Health Equity Fund; a new funding mechanism that will help to pay for health care for all Liberians on an equitable basis, with everyone having access to the same services regardless of where you are, who you are or your financial standing.
According to an Executive Mansion release, the Liberian leader was speaking when she addressed the opening of the 15th Ordinary Meeting of the Assembly of ECOWAS Health Ministers at the Monrovia City Hall on Friday, April 11. The meeting is being held under the theme: “Universal Health Coverage: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities.”
President Sirleaf said government is working to improve the health and social welfare status of all Liberians on an equitable basis in the face of major challenges. She named inadequate financing for drugs, facility construction, health workers incentives; poor-quality service delivery; financial constraints of the population themselves, especially the poor; unbalanced service provision across counties sometimes in the light of transport difficulties; and declining contributions from international partners as some of the major challenges facing the health sector.
“Achieving Universal Health Coverage takes time and perseverance for it involves accessibility, affordability and quality of service,” the Liberian President emphasized, adding that government is endeavoring to realize this through strong political commitment at all levels including the highest level in the society.
She reminded the audience of the commitment she made when she addressed the 63rd World Health Assembly in Geneva that people should not have to die simply because they are poor; and pledged to find mechanisms to continue to allow Liberians to access the health care they need without having to pay up-front fees.
The Liberian leader commended the health team for the services they are rendering free of charge in all of the rural areas, though sometimes not the quality, but certainly expanding in a way that they know that if patients do have some urgent health problem they can go to a health service center and get immediate and urgent care until they can be transferred to facilities that require much more attention. “We realize that free health care is not free; someone has to pay for it,” she pointed out; adding that it has to be paid through other forms of taxes and through the mobilization of resources. She applauded partners for the support.
