In its quest to bringing relief to the Liberian people in the area of healthcare delivery services, on Friday, July 27, the World Bank Liberia office joined the Liberia Government in the ‘Block-laying Ceremony for the construction of a New Redemption Hospital in the Caldwell Township, Rural Montserrado County.
Caldwell Township, Rural Montserrado County, Liberia as World Bank Liberia Manager looks on
The program which brought together officials of the Liberian Government including President George Manneh Weah, making remarks at the block-laying to jump start the construction of a newly improved Redemption Hospital in the Township of Caldwell, World Bank Liberia Country Manager Ms. Larisa Leshchenko said her organization was once again happy to be represented at the program aimed at bringing smiles to the faces of Liberians, particularly in health care delivery.
She said as a as part of the Investment Plan for Building a Resilient Health System, which aligns with the country’s Pro-Poor Agenda, the World Bank is delighted to provide US$14 million grant to finance the re-building of the Redemption Hospital on this new site here in the Monrovia suburb of Caldwell.
In a related development, Ms. Larisa Leshchenko on Saturday, July 27, 2018 on behalf of the World Bank family, participated in this groundbreaking ceremony for the ELWA Junction to Coca Cola Factory section (6.1km) of the Monrovia to Guinea Border Road rehabilitation. It marks another significant step in the story of Liberia’s economic recovery and we at the World Bank are honored to form part of this success story.
This project is financed by the World Bank, Liberia Reconstruction Trust Fund (LRTF), and the Liberian Government. It was approved by the World Bank Group Board of Executive Directors on June 7, 2011 and has since been under implementation for the past seven years. The overall cost of this project covering a total length of 253km currently stands at US$314.4m comprising contributions from the World Bank amounting to US$157.7m which represents 50%; LRTF contributing US$108.9m, comprising 35%; and the Liberian Government underwriting US$47.8m, which is 15%.
Below are remarks made by the World Bank Liberia Country Manager Ms. Larisa Leshchenko remarks at the program:
Remarks by World Bank Liberia Country Manager Ms. Larisa Leshchenko At the
Block-laying Ceremony of the New Redemption Hospital
Caldwell Township, Rural Montserrado County, Liberia
July 27, 2018
Your Excellency, Dr. George M. Weah, President, Republic of Liberia;
Dr. Wilhelmina Jallah, Minister of Health;
Members of the Cabinet and other Officials of the Liberian Government;
Development Partners;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Good morning.
We are once again happy to be representing the World Bank family during this week of Liberia’s Independence to bring smiles to the faces of Liberians, particularly in health care delivery. This block-laying jump starts construction of the newly improved Redemption Hospital following successful completion of the preparatory activities which include the warehouse, water storage and powerhouse and tarred road pathway.
The existing Redemption Hospital in New Kru Town was built in 1982 and currently serves as the county hospital for Montserrado, while also receiving referrals from other county hospitals, primarily Gbarpolu, Grand Cape Mount, and Bomi. The hospital serves as a clinical training site for medical students and resident physicians.
The facility was continually expanded over the years, to cope with the increasing caseload of patients. Redemption has eventually become a very busy health facility in Liberia. Located within a densely-populated community, the hospital’s facilities are poorly planned and over-crowded, and the site offers no space to expand.
The shortfalls and over-crowding at the hospital became stark during the Ebola outbreak, highlighting the urgent need for a better planned facility, with staff appropriately trained, including in personal protective measures.
While Redemption is intended as a tertiary-level hospital, it is not able to provide services at tertiary standard due in large part to infrastructural constraints. Patients are sometimes turned away due to limited bed space and its inability to treat certain conditions with the facilities available.
As part of the Investment Plan for Building a Resilient Health System, which aligns with the country’s Pro-Poor Agenda, the World Bank is delighted to provide US$14 million grant to finance the re-building of the Redemption Hospital on this new site here in the Monrovia suburb of Caldwell. The new hospital will serve as a regional referral hospital for Montserrado, Margibi, Bomi, Grand Cape Mount, and Gbarpolu counties. Phase 1 of the hospital, the block-laying ceremony for which we are gathered here today, will serve women and children, and provide learning environment for medical students and doctors.
Your Excellency, President George M. Weah, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
We want to assure you Mr. President, the Government and the people of Liberia that the World Bank will continue to provide critical support towards the development of Liberia. We are very happy and honored to be financing this important foundation of the health system in Liberia.
Thank you.
Remarks by Larisa Leshchenko, World Bank Liberia Country Manager
At the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the ELWA Junction to Coca Cola Factory Road Corridor
Saturday, July 27, 2018
Your Excellency, Dr. George M. Weah, President, Republic of Liberia;
Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Hon. Samuel Tweah;
Minister of Public Works, Hon. Mobutu Nyenpan;
Other Officials of the Liberian Government;
Development Partners;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Good morning.
On behalf of the World Bank family, I am honored to participate in this groundbreaking ceremony for the ELWA Junction to Coca Cola Factory section (6.1km) of the Monrovia to Guinea Border Road rehabilitation. It marks another significant step in the story of Liberia’s economic recovery and we at the World Bank are honored to form part of this success story.
This project is financed by the World Bank, Liberia Reconstruction Trust Fund (LRTF), and the Liberian Government. It was approved by the World Bank Group Board of Executive Directors on June 7, 2011 and has since been under implementation for the past seven years. The overall cost of this project covering a total length of 253km currently stands at US$314.4m comprising contributions from the World Bank amounting to US$157.7m which represents 50%; LRTF contributing US$108.9m, comprising 35%; and the Liberian Government underwriting US$47.8m, which is 15%.
The project objective is to reduce transport costs and maintain the Monrovia to Guinea Border Road corridor in good condition over a 10-year period. The closing date of the project is June 30, 2024.
The scope of the original project was to rehabilitate a 246 kilometers of primary road section in Liberia connecting the capital, Monrovia, to the Guinea Border. Under the Output and Performance Based contracting methodology, rehabilitation and long-term maintenance is assigned to a single contracting entity. The rehabilitation phase beginning from Coca Cola factory to the Guinea Border was successfully completed and has been commissioned since October 2016 under its new name, “Suakoko Highway.” The road is currently under maintenance by the same contracting entities. Travel time has reduced by more than 50%, and several man-hours of employment (over 3 million person-days since 2013) have already been created through the project, and continues to be generated through the maintenance activities.
Your Excellency, Mr. President, this urban section of the Monrovia to Guinea Border Road was delayed in its implementation because of initial funding shortfalls, as well as the complex nature of the social issues and interactions within this urban area, particularly the Redlight Market and its environs. Under the first additional financing, the original project was scaled up to make provision for the 6.1 kilometers urban section of the corridor from ELWA Junction to Coca Cola Factory. The total cost for this urban section is about US$10.9m and the rehabilitation phase will be implemented in two years. Under the Output and Performance Based contracting methodology, the contractor will maintain this urban section for a four-year period. I am particularly pleased to note that good progress has been made in the implementation of the resettlement action plan which ensures that the project affected persons would not be impacted adversely by the implementation of the contract. According to the International Development Association of the World Bank’s resettlement policies, a grievance redress mechanism has also been established to ensure that voices of project affected persons can be heard during project implementation. We hope that the citizenry will take advantage of these provisions whenever there are project related issues that affect their wellbeing and indeed that of the public.
Mr. President, I am pleased to acknowledge the important role of the Liberia Reconstruction Trust Fund as a credible partner in rehabilitating Liberia’s damaged infrastructure. The LRTF is a multi-donor trust fund for infrastructure, which is supported by contributions from the European Union, and the governments of Great Britain (DfID), Sweden (Sida), Ireland (Irish Aid), Norway and Germany (KfW) and the World Bank. The LRTF is administered by the World Bank and supervised by an Oversight Committee comprising the Government of Liberia, contributing donors, and the World Bank. The staunch support of this coalition of donors under the LRTF framework has been critical to achieving the project outcomes to date, and I would like to applaud this collaboration.
This collaboration will continue under the proposed South-Eastern Corridor Road Asset Management Project (SECRAMP) which follows a similar implementation model, enhanced with private sector financing. It will focus on improvement of Ganta-Zwedru section of the Ganta-Harper Corridor which is another critical axis for providing connectivity to major populations in Liberia. We are working with Government to submit this proposed project to the World Bank Board by the end of this year.
Your Excellency, Mr. President, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The World Bank will continue to work in support of the Government and people of Liberia in reducing extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity.
I thank you.