Liberia: Government Signs Health Assistance and Facility Partnership Agreement With Mercy Ships

As part of President Weah’s health program to relieve the most vulnerable people, the Liberian government has signed a five-year partnership agreement with the international aid organization Mercy Ships in October in Monrovia to expand surgery, increase training and staff assistants working in the country’s health sector.

According to Mercy Ships Ceo Donovan R. Palmer, this partnership aims to increase access to surgical operations and the capabilities of health personnel. Mercy Ships will provide technical assistance to integrate surgery, obstetrics and anesthesia into Liberia’s health plan strategies with the support of the local Oms office, which acts as the consultant and technical partner of the organization. Liberia.

Indeed, it is worth stressing, twenty times fewer operations are performed in Africa than strictly necessary, according to a study recently published by the medical journal “The Lancet”. In addition, patients are twice as likely to succumb to an intervention in Africa than elsewhere. It is with a view to improving Liberia’s technical platform and health fabric that the Liberian Government, through the Minister of Health Dr. Wilhelmina Jllah, has spared no effort to reach the conclusion of this salutary agreement which will relieve the thousands of Liberian patients who have almost no means to treat themselves properly.

This health assistance and capacity building agreement, according to Dr. Mpélé, coordinator of the Africa office of Mercy Ships based in Cotonou, is part of a post-Ebola operation. Mercy Ships aims to bring hope and healing to the poor in Liberia who do not have access to quality health care.

The Liberian government and Mercy Ships welcomed the deal. The solution to this daunting and complex problem will require a lot of work and the collaboration of all stakeholders, because on the side of Mercy Ships, officials remain confident that formal collaboration with the Liberian government will be one of these pillars strengthening access to surgical care of Liberian populations.

This partnership with Liberia will enable Mercy Ships to provide vital services to those in desperate need, as well as to build the capacity and rehabilitation of some basic health infrastructure in the country.

The Evangelical NGO, founded in 1978 under the auspices of Youth on Mission, offers free medical and surgical care thanks to its floating ships, called “Africa Mercy”. It is the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world. Since their launch 89,000 operations have been carried out thanks to Mercy Ships, and 40,000 medical personnel have been trained. Mercy Ships is among others, an international humanitarian organization that provides quality health care to the poor. Mercy Ships travels to African countries on board the largest hospital ships to perform surgeries, provide free training and treatment. On board, more than 400 volunteers who finance their own journey and stay: doctors, nurses, engineers, farmers, construction workers, etc.

Around the world, Mercy Ships mobilizes donors or people who are willing to raise funds and work on a voluntary basis to provide the poor with quality health care, hope and healing. Through this agreement with Liberia, thousands of people will have access to medical assistance, professional treatment or quality surgery.

In addition to free transactions, Mercy Ships will also provide training for local doctors and staff. Thus, Mercy Ships will contribute to a sustainable transition in the countries. An approach that is consistent with the overall vision of the sustainable development policy of Liberian President George Weah who hailed the highly humanitarian initiative of the NGO Mercy Ships.

Liberia will host the Mercy Ships hospital ship for the second time in 2020, a quantum leap in President Weah’s vision of health.
Mercy ships at meetings with the country’s highest authorities to commend the involvement of Vice President Jewel Taylor in her efforts to combat sexual violence.

At the end of the partnership agreement between the Liberian government and Mecy Ships, the first mercy teams will carry out a year of evaluation and program preparation work in Liberia. The hospital ship will dock at the port of Monrovia in 2020; but already in February 2019, Mercy Ships will dispatch its first mission under the said agreement.

The two-party agreement signed on October 6 was signed on the Liberian side by Health Minister Dr. Wilhelmina Jllah, countersigned by Justice Minister Frank Musah Dean Jr and Hon Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs .B. Elias Shoniyin. On the Mercy Ship side is his CEO Donovan R. Palmer.