Gbarpolu County – In an effort to boost the healthcare delivery system in western Liberia, residents of Gbarpolu County have welcomed news about the construction of a modern hospital in Bopolu City.
Report By: Abigail Ballah, Responsible Health Reporting
The construction works, which is expected to last for the period of 14 months, will kick off in the mid-January 2021, according Dr. Francis Ketah, Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer. He made the disclosure recently during a county stakeholder meeting in Bopolu City.
Dr. Ketah said, “It saddens me when I go from county-to-county, I see the health facility that cannot provide quality care for our people.”
“This is through the advocacy of our President’s partners. And as a matter of fact, we have signed a contract to build one of the best referral health facility in this part of Liberia — nothing less than a 100-bed facility is expected here beginning January 2021.”
During a day assessment visit in Bopolu City, which was led by Dr. Ketah in March 2019, the county authority made available 12 acres for the hospital project, which is expected to be completed in 14-months.
Officials of the county administration have pledged their full support to the project, promising to do everything possible to ensure the project is a success,
“In my capacity as a Development Superintendent, we will do everything possible to make sure that this project is completed in time,” said Hon. Joseph B. Akoi.
At the same time, superintendent J. Keyah Saah added: “To tell you that we are more serious as a people, we will give the presidential house to the contractor, which is close to the project sit to enhance the project implementation.”
“We will be very, very serious – we can assure you that we will give the security and attention that this project requires.”
Meanwhile, the news about the pending project has sparked joy among a cross-section of residents of the county, who are eager to see actual work kicks off in January 2021.
“We can just wait to see that hospital standing here in Bopolu City because this news is a big moral for us as people and the health workers,” says the CSO Secretary General Mr. Alfred Scott.
For Rufus Clerk of the Bopolu Accountability Forum, he believes when the health facility works is completed, it will help to reduce tension on the healthcare system in this part of Liberia.
Rufus said, “When we have this modern state-of-the-art hospital here in the coming 14-month as Dr. Keteh said, that along will reinforce the health workers’ confidence and attracts more of them in this part of Liberia.”
For her part, the rural women president of Gbarpolu Bendu Jah told Local Voices Liberia that “this is good news for our women and children.”
The long ride of carrying big belly women from Bopolu to Monrovia will soon be over according to Madam Jah.
Currently, Gbarpolu has one health center in Bopolu city. The Chief Jallah Lone Hospital serves as the main referral health facility in Bopolu along with 14 clinics across the six administrative districts.
Dr. Musa Zuannah, the County Health Officer (CHO), says the proposed hospital is completed; it will be the major referral hospital in the southwestern region of Liberia.
Dr. Zuannah is convinced that once the project works as planned, the partners funding the project will provide basic lifesaving medical equipment for the facility.
“In other to make our work easy while serving over 100,000 people in this county, there is going to be 24-hour solar energy power, plus assorted medical supplies for the different wards like the children ward, OB wall, OR and materials,” said, Dr. Zuannah, who added that alls government and partners support will be directed to the new hospital upon completion.