E. Varney Kamah , GNN Correspondent| Maryland County|
In an effort to keep community healthy that will graciously impact the lives of Maryland residents, a local NGO, Partners In Health has embarked on road rehabilitation project at William R. Tolbert Drive, affectionately called ” Stadium Road” in Harper.
The popular Stadium Road which connects several communities to include Lake Shepherd, J. Lama Cox, Airfield, Middle Sex, New Harper among others, which was named as the William Richard Tolbert, Jr. Drive in 1979, during the regime of former Liberian President William R. Tolbert during the famous Rally Town Program have been touched.
PIH began work in Liberia in November 2014, responding to the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in that County, and further supported two Ebola treatment units and three community healthcare centers, teaching teachers and community members’ on the new techniques aimed at slowing down the spread of of the virus.
Partners In Health is a US-based NGO was established in 1987, by a group of enterprising men and women, to include Paul Farmer, Ophelia Dahl, Thomas J. White, and Jim Yong Kim.
Paul Farmer and his model of Partners in Health support this idea, creating programs that take into account the poverty, structural barriers, and social norms that often determine who benefits from health care systems and who doesn’t; By establishing long-term relationships with sister organizations based in settings of poverty, Partners In Health strives to achieve two overarching goals: to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them, and to serve as an antidote to despair.
They draw on the resources of the world’s leading medical and academic institutions and on the lived experience of the world’s poorest and sickest communities. At its root, her mission is both medical and moral, based on solidarity, rather than charity alone.
According to reports, since her establishment in Liberia, whenever patients are ill and have no access to care, a team of health professionals, scholars, and activists will do whatever it takes to make them well, just as they would do if a member of their own families or themselves who were ill.
PIH came to Liberia to fight Ebola, but stayed to help strengthen the public health system and improve access to care.
Partners In Health’s commitment to long-term interventions and health system strengthening, is reflected in the mental health system of Liberia.
Meanwhile, Liberia’s health system is beset with serious capacity problems. It is chronically short of human resources, equipment, and drugs. The decentralization policy faces serious challenges, not least of which is the difficulty of finding professional health workers willing to deploy to far-flung areas.
Liberians suffer from high mortality and morbidity, resulting from a combination of poor living conditions and lack of quality health care. Infectious diseases are a major contributor to ill health and lost productivity: for example, one-third of Liberians suffer from malaria each year, according to WHO survey in 2008.
Acknowledging the significant impact of the Stadium Road rehabilitation project was John Hilary Tubman High School Principal Gregory W. Nimely…says “Health Is Wealth, PIH Is Really A Partner”.
The Public School Principal mentioned that his students and staffs including residents especially women and children of Lake Shepherd, and Stadium Road, have struggled for years during raining season to have free passage.
“We are thankful to God for the presence of PIH in Maryland County and Liberia at large. Look, Augustine Young, it will interest you to know that PIH is working directly with the County Health Team on health related issues, but she is highly involved into other community initiatives across Maryland County. As a child of God, it is my prayer that PIH programs will be extended, I don’t know how to say it, but PIH is a blessing to Liberia”. Mr. Nimely emphasized.
John Hillary Tubman High School building is being used by two separate learning institutions ( G. T. Brewer Elementary and Junior High School and John Hilary Tubman High School) by the Ministry of Education as public schools and hosts approximately 1,200 students plus teaching and support staffs.
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